My landlord usd my ssn to start up nyseg bill in my name without my permission before i even moved into the apartment can i sue

Dear Walton Tenant: Visit an attorney to review your lease to determine whether the lease allowed the landlord to establish a NYSEG account in your name. The reason a landlord wants the electric utility account to remain active is to be assured that the apartment is powered up. If you agreed to activate the utility account in your name, but were not ready to move in, the lease agreement may have allowed the landlord the right to do so. But even if the lease did not authorize the landlord to act in your place to establish the NYSEG account, in a lawsuit, there should be a claim that some harm was caused by the landlord doing something you would have done on your own. Before you sue, you may contact the New York State Public Service Commission and find out if the landlord and NYSEG violated a law or a rule or a regulation relating to the establishment of a utility account. Good luck.

Another thing to think about are your "damages", that is, how much a possible claim would be worth. Sometimes it costs more to pursue litigation then to just deal with the landlord/NYSEG on your own. A lawsuit of this nature does not sound like it would net very much at all since you don't seem to have very many monetary damages (unless the electric bill was thousands of dollars or more). If a wrong is committed against a person, he or she has to prove his damages in Court, in a specific amount. Lawyers are expensive and can cost anywhere from $150/hr to hundreds of dollars per hour. If you are fighting over a bill for a couple hundred dollars, it is not worth it to pursue a claim. Small claims court is also available as an option where you could represent yourself. This is often best for small claims.