Published: Tuesday, June 4, 2024
PORTLAND (Ore.) — Pacific Power, a division of PacifiCorp said it had agreed to a $178-million settlement with more than 400 Oregon plaintiffs. This is the latest multimillion dollar payout in relation to the deadly wildfires which ravaged Oregon.
Oregon juries have in the past ordered PacifiCorp, through multiple verdicts, to pay victims hundreds of millions of dollar. The ongoing litigation could cost it billions.
George McCoy said that the majority of 403 plaintiffs who were part of the settlement on Monday were affected the Echo Mountain Complex Fire, which devastated Oregon’s Central Coast. Others were impacted the Santiam Fire, which raged in northwest Oregon, east of Salem, the state capital.
The utility released a statement stating that it had settled almost 1,500 claims arising from the wildfires of Labor Day 2020. Nine people died in the blazes, which burned more than 4,856 square kilometers (1,875 square miles) and destroyed thousands of homes.
McCoy stated, “We believe this is an excellent way for our clients’ to be able rebuild and recover from their traumatic experiences. We think that they will have the ability to begin this process immediately.”
PacifiCorp is facing more lawsuits related to the fires. One of them was filed by Oregon wineries last month, seeking damages in excess of $100 million. The wine producers claimed that PacifiCorp’s failure to turn off the power during Labor Day’s windstorm was a contributing factor to the blazes, which caused smoke and soot to damage their grapes. This in turn reduced their harvest and sales.
A jury in June last year found PacifiCorp responsible for failing to turn off power to 600,000 of its customers, despite the warnings by top fire officials. The jury found that PacifiCorp acted willfully and negligently, and was liable for punitive damages and other damages. This decision applied to up to 2,500 property owners.
The trial of thousands of other members is still pending, but the parties are expected to engage in a mediation process that could result in a settlement.
Last week, Oregon utility officials rejected a request by PacifiCorp to limit the company’s liability in wildfire suits.
According to the proposed proposal, the utility was only responsible for paying actual economic damages as part of lawsuit awards. Oregon Public Utility Commission said that the request was overly broad and would prevent payouts for non-economic damages, such as mental suffering, emotional distress, or pain.
Source: ABC News https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/pacificorp-pay-178m-oregon-wildfire-victims-latest-settlement-110794004