$19.6 Million in Settlements Reached in Peterson Oil Class Action
10/30/2025
Regan Strom is pleased to announce that an agreement in principle has been reached in the Peterson Oil matter that will resolve all claims in the case for a total of $19,600,000.00. The latest settlement of $14,000,000.00 was reached the night before a month-long trial was set to being. When combined with a prior, partial settlement, the Class will receive a total of $19.6 million from this litigation. These settlements provide meaningful relief to thousands of families and small businesses across Central Massachusetts who dealt with unexpected heating-system problems and economic losses.
The case involved claims that Peterson Oil’s customers were led to believe they were purchasing ordinary, industry-standard heating oil from Peterson Oil, but received something very different – fuel contaminated with large quantities of biodiesel. The Plaintiffs alleged that the fuel Peterson oil actually delivered: (1) repeatedly shut down customers’ heating equipment, leaving customers without heat; (2) caused long term damage to customers’ heating equipment; (3) was less efficient and contained less heating content (BTUs) than standard heating oil, forcing customers to purchase more; and (4) was worth far less to customers than the product for which they paid.
Regan Strom arduously litigated the claims for over 6.5 years and fully prepared the case for trial before the settlement was reached on the eve of trial. Regan Strom simultaneously litigated with Peterson Oil’s insurance carriers regarding their obligations to provide insurance coverage for the property damage Plaintiffs allege Peterson Oil caused. Regan Strom’s advocacy included successfully arguing against two appeals fired by the insurers in the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
Of the settlement, Attorney John Regan stated, “We are extremely proud that our aggressive and comprehensive litigation strategy led to such a strong settlement for class members and will bring meaningful relief to thousands of consumers throughout the Commonwealth.” Attorney Regan continued, “Regan Strom is grateful for the opportunity to have represented such an amazing group of Named Plaintiffs who invested substantial amounts of their time, and without whom this outcome would not have been possible.”
The settlement was preliminarily approved by Business Litigation Session (“BLS”) of Suffolk County Superior Court on October 30, 2025. The settlement is subject to the BLS’s final approval and a fairness hearing is scheduled for January 29, 2025. Peterson Oil customers who received deliveries between January 1, 2012 and November 12, 2025 and/or current owners of properties that received deliveries in that timeframe should have received notices in the mail regarding the settlement. If you are such a customer and/or property owner, please carefully review the notice as your rights may be impacted. Please visit PetersonOilClassActionSettlement.com for more information about the settlement.
If you are a current or former Peterson Oil customer and experienced unusual or frequent shutdowns, were forced to prematurely replace your heating equipment, and/or used more fuel than expected, you may have suffered damage because of Peterson Oil’s biodiesel blending practices. Please contact Regan Strom today for more information about the settlement and your potential recovery.
Related Links:
“Class-Action Lawsuit Against Peterson Oil Settles for $14 Million,” Telegram & Gazette
