Vila v. Tahoe Southside Water Utility

In Vila v. Tahoe Southside Water Utility (1965) 233 Cal.App.2d 469, a customer sued a water company for its failure to provide water service, causing the building to be vacant. Significantly, the court found that the utility had "an unambiguous provision in its own rules" that required the provision of water and that the suit would therefore be "in aid and not in derogation of the jurisdiction of the commission." (Vila v. Tahoe Southside Water Utility, supra, 233 Cal.App.2d at p. 479.) Further, the court held: "To deny a plaintiff access to the courts for the redress of such a wrong (no water service) would be a gross injustice." (Ibid.)