Lawyers in Texas and elsewhere are gearing up for a fight in court over damages stemming from power outages during February’s epic winter storm, but suing electrical utilities means they are facing some very high hurdles.

Even as some lawyers barely had their own lights back on, some began filing lawsuits seeking punitive damages. Their targets are the Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc., the independent system operator for 26 million Texas residents who make up 90% of the state’s electric load, and various regional utilities.