CHARLOTTE — The attorney general for North Carolina has reached a settlement with the north Charlotte gas station that allegedly charged $9.99 per gallon during the state’s gas shortage in May.
Attorney General Josh Stein said in a press release he reached an over $20,000 settlement with Queen’s Market on Sugar Creek Road. Stein sued the gas station in August for allegedly violating NC’s price gouging law during the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack, shutdown, and subsequent state of emergency.
“I’m pleased that customers who were forced to pay outrageous prices for gas during the pipeline shutdown will get some relief,” Stein said. “Businesses cannot take advantage of a state of emergency to price gouge North Carolinians. If they do, I’ll hold them accountable.”
Customers who were forced to pay unreasonably high prices for fuel at Queen’s Market are eligible for restitution.
In addition to the payments, the settlement also requires Queen’s Market to permanently install software that will record the prices at which it sell gas, as well as the number of gallons sold at each price.
Consumers who believe they were excessively charged when they bought gas from Queen’s Market between May 11 and May 14, 2021 may request a claim form by emailing PGSettlements@ncdoj.gov or by calling the Attorney General’s Office toll-free within NC at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.
Attorney General Stein’s lawsuit alleged that Queen’s Market raised prices for gas to as high as $9.99 per gallon for premium, or a 256% price increase. The company allegedly sold gas to customers at these excessive prices even though it hadn’t experienced similar increases in fuel costs.
Channel 9 covered concerns about the gas station’s prices after a TikTok video went viral in May.
A copy of the judgment is available here.
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