EX-23.2 13 y84639exv23w2.txt EXPLANATION EXHIBIT 23.2 EXPLANATION CONCERNING ABSENCE OF CURRENT WRITTEN CONSENT OF ARTHUR ANDERSEN LLP Section 11(a) of the Securities Act of 1993, as amended (the "Securities Act"), provides that if any part of a registration statement at the time such part becomes effective contains an untrue statement of a material fact or an omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, any person acquiring a security pursuant to such registration statement (unless it is proved that at the time of such acquisition such person knew of such untruth or omission) may sue, among others, every accountant who has consented to be named as having prepared or certified any part of the registration statement, or as having prepared or certified any report or valuation which is used in connection with the registration statement, with respect to the statement in such registration statement, report or valuation which purports to have been prepared or certified by the accountant. This Annual Report on Form 10-K is incorporated by reference into the Registration Statements File Nos. 33-53211, 333-94525, 333-51702 and 333-88554 on Form S-8 (collectively, the "Registration Statements") of Connecticut Water Service, Inc. (the "Company") and, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, is deemed to be a new registration statement for each Registration Statement into which it is incorporated by reference. As recommended by the Company's Audit Committee, the Company's Board of Directors on June 18, 2002 decided to dismiss Arthur Andersen LLP ("Andersen") as the Company's independent accountants. See the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed June 20, 2002 for more information. After reasonable efforts, the Company has been unable to obtain Andersen's written consent to the incorporation by reference into the Registration Statements of its audit reports with respect to the Company's financial statements as of and for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2001 and 2000, though Andersen did consent on February 8, 2002 to the incorporation by reference of its audit report contained in the filing of the Company on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001. Under these circumstances, Rule 437a under the Securities Act permits the Company to file this Form 10-K without a written consent from Andersen. However, as a result, with respect to transactions in the Company securities pursuant to the Registration Statements that occur subsequent to the date this Annual Report on Form 10-K is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Andersen may not have any liability under Section 11(a) of the Securities Act for any untrue statements of a material fact contained in the financial statements audited by Andersen or any omissions of a material fact required to be stated therein. Accordingly, you may be unable to assert a claim against Andersen under Section 11(a) of the Securities Act because it has not consented to the incorporation by reference of its previously issued reports into the Registration Statements. To the extent provided in Section 11(b)(3)(C) of the Securities Act, however, other persons who may become liable under Section 11(a) of the Securities Act, including the Company's officers and directors, may still rely on Andersen's original audit reports as being made by an expert for purposes of establishing a due diligence defense under Section 11(b) of the Securities Act. The following is a copy of Arthur Andersen's consent which was filed in connection with Connecticut Water Service, Inc.'s Form 10-K on March 25, 2002. This consent has not been reissued by Arthur Andersen. CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS As independent public accountants, we hereby consent to the incorporation of our reports included in this Form 10-K, into the Company's previously filed Registration Statements File Nos. 33-53211, and 333-54418. /s/ Arthur Andersen LLP Hartford, Connecticut March 21, 2002