Worcester Business Journal

4 Worcester Business Journal | December 1, 2025 | wbjournal.com BY ERIC CASEY WBJ Managing Editor A Suffolk Superior Court judge has given preliminary approval to a settlement involving a class action lawsuit against Worcester-based Peterson Oil regarding its use of biodiesel fuel mix. If approved, the settlement will see customers of Peterson Oil, as well as its subsidiaries Cape Discount Fuel and Cleghorn Oil, be eligible to collect from the $14 million settlement fund established by the proposed deal. Final approval will be considered at a hearing in January. The settlement is in regards to Peterson Oil's alleged use of heating oil containing biofuel, with plaintiffs alleging the firm delivered oil with biofuel mixture levels which were too high, leading to damage to equipment and customers paying more for the fuel than it was actually worth. A statement on Peterson Oil's website defended its use of biofuel and said the settlement was not an admission of wrongdoing. "Our decision to incorporate biofuel has been supported by rigorous testing and real-world experience," the statement reads in part. "We have proudly served thousands of homes, going beyond what was traditionally offered, to More airlines "We want to make sure these incentive programs are designed to attract not just the ultra low-cost carriers, but the legacy carriers and the other low-cost carriers." Andrew Davis, director of Worcester Regional Airport, on the airport increasing its incentive program to hopefully bring new airlines to ORH and increase the amount of destinations it offers GLP-1 research "There needs to be more scien- tific evidence on how lifestyle change interventions can support patients' needs in real-world settings." Jamie Faro, assistant professor of population & quantitative health sciences at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester, on the study she's co-leading to study the impacts of lifestyle changes on those taking GLP-1s, using $2 million awarded from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Proposed amendment "As we know, we have a severe shortage of inspections. Those folks need more resources." Etel Haxhiaj, District 5 Worcester city councilor, on her request to amend the City's Rental Registry Program to include residential build- ings built after September 2022, meaning unit owners would have to pay into the program Peterson Oil settles class action lawsuit over damage from biodiesel mixture levels for $14M provide a product we truly believed in—and still do. In fact, we use the same fuel in our homes, trusting in its quality and environmental benefits. All of this caused the company, and our insurance carriers to defend the lawsuit. After many years of defending, our insurance carriers decided to settle. Clearly, this is not an admission of wrongdoing but rather a strategic move to avoid even more prolonged litigation." The reaching of the latest settlement was first reported by the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Peterson Oil has been dealing with fallout from allegations involving their use of biofuel mixtures for years. In 2021, the company agreed to pay a $450,000 fine to the state, after the attorney general's office alleged Peterson Oil knowingly submitted false documents over the course of its contracts claiming to deliver compliant oil when it had not. The company also faced a separate class action lawsuit filed in Worcester Superior Court in 2019 regarding the impact of its heating oil mixtures, with that lawsuit saying improper blends could cause furnace parts to corrode gel fuel lines, and cause heating systems to break down. That class action lawsuit led to a settlement of $5.6 million, according to PetersonOilClassActionLawsuit. com, the website set up to handle claims filed as part of the more- recently settled Suffolk court case. If given final approval, the latest settlement would impact Peterson Oil customers from Jan. 1, 2012, until Nov. 12 2025, with claims due by Feb. 11. W Peterson Oil, headquartered in Worcester, defended its decision to include biofuel in its heat- ing oil and said the $14-million class action settlement with customers was not an admission of guilt. PHOTOS | COURTESY OF GOOGLE

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