A jury has awarded nearly $50 million in damages to seven survivors of Oregon’s 2020 Labor Day wildfires. A rental property company was also awarded $210,000 in the trial.
It’s the fourth jury verdict against PacifiCorp – which kept power lines charged during hot and windy weather, despite fire officials’ warnings. Thousands of homes and other buildings burned.
At least eight more trials are scheduled, and the company could be on the hook for billions in damages.
FILE - The charred remains of a home burned in the Santiam Fire near Gates, Ore., Sept. 9, 2020. Fires burned across Oregon that year, causing billions of dollars in damage.
Bradley W. Parks / OPB
“This jury’s verdict is another important step in holding PacifiCorp accountable,” plaintiffs attorney Matthew Preusch said in a statement. “It’s past time for PacifiCorp to step up and compensate all the impacted Oregonians for the enduring harm it has caused.”
The company – which owns Pacific Power, one of Oregon’s largest electricity providers – has also settled more than 2,000 claims by people affected by the 2020 wildfires.
“These settlements were the result of negotiations culminating in meaningful compensation to help those affected by the fires recover, rebuild, and move forward,” the company said in a provided statement. “PacifiCorp remains committed to settling all reasonable claims.”
In financial filings, PacifiCorp executives have estimated that the 2020 and 2022 wildfires have cost the company nearly $2.7 billion. Berkshire Hathaway, which owns PacifiCorp, has estimated that its utilities face at least $8 billion in claims across all wildfire lawsuits filed in Oregon and California.
Late last year, the federal government joined in on the litigation, suing PacifiCorp over a 2020 wildfire in Douglas County.
Wildfire lawsuits have been blamed as one factor, among many, driving up the cost of electricity for Pacific Power customers. The company’s rates climbed 9.8% for residential customers on Jan. 1, and are up by 50% since 2021.
Some state lawmakers say they want to bar utilities from increasing rates linked to unresolved wildfire lawsuits.
Meanwhile, PacifiCorp is asking legislators in Salem to cap its liability in these suits.
