LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Notes to Financial Statements [Abstract]

11.	LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

KCP&L Spent Nuclear Fuel and Radioactive Waste

In January 2004, KCP&L and the other two Wolf Creek owners filed a lawsuit against the United States in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims seeking $14.1 million of damages resulting from the government’s failure to begin accepting spent nuclear fuel for disposal in January 1998, as the government was required to do by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982. The Wolf Creek case was tried before a U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge in June 2010, and a decision was issued in November 2010, granting KCP&L and the other two Wolf Creek owners $10.6 million ($5.0 million KCP&L share) in damages. In January 2011, KCP&L and the other two Wolf Creek owners as well as the United States filed appeals of the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The court has set a briefing schedule. Briefing likely will conclude in the fourth quarter of 2011, and the parties will present their oral arguments to the court sometime thereafter.

Iatan Levee Litigation

On May 22, 2009, several farmers filed suit against Great Plains Energy and KCP&L in the Circuit Court of Platte County, Missouri, alleging negligence, private nuisance, trespass and violations of the Missouri Crop Protection Act and seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. These allegations stem from flooding at or near the Iatan Station in 2007 and 2008. The farmers allege the flooding was a result of maintenance of a nearby levee. Written discovery and depositions are underway and this matter is set for trial in May 2012. Management cannot predict the outcome of this matter.

GMO Price Reporting Litigation

In response to complaints of manipulation of the California energy market, in July 2001, FERC issued an order requiring net sellers of power in the California markets from October 2, 2000, through June 20, 2001, at prices above a FERC determined competitive market clearing price to make refunds to net purchasers of power in the California market during that time period. Because MPS Merchant was a net purchaser of power during the refund period, it has received approximately $8 million in refunds through settlements with certain sellers of power. MPS Merchant estimates that it is entitled to approximately $12 million in additional refunds under the standards FERC has used in this case. FERC has stated that interest will be applied to the refunds but the amount of interest has not yet been determined. However, in December 2001, various parties appealed the FERC order to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit seeking review of a number of issues, including changing the refund period to include periods prior to October 2, 2000. MPS Merchant was a net seller of power during the period prior to October 2, 2000. On August 2, 2006, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued an order finding, among other things, that FERC did not provide a sufficient justification for refusing to exercise its remedial authority under the Federal Power Act to determine whether market participants violated FERC-approved tariffs during the period prior to October 2, 2000, and imposing a remedy for any such violations. The court remanded the matter to FERC for further consideration. In May 2011, FERC issued an order which clarified the scope of the hearing in the refund proceeding and ruled on requests for rehearing and motions to dismiss. A hearing is set for March 2012. If FERC ultimately includes the period prior to October 2, 2000, MPS Merchant could be found to owe refunds.

FERC initiated a separate docket, generally referred to as the Pacific Northwest refund proceeding, to determine if any refunds were warranted related to the potential impact of the California market issues on buyers in the Pacific Northwest between December 25, 2000, and June 20, 2001. FERC rejected the refund requests, but its decision was remanded by the Court of Appeals for FERC to consider whether any acts of market manipulation support the imposition of refunds. Claims against MPS Merchant total $5.1 million for the period addressed under the Pacific Northwest refund proceedings.