US EditionBerkshire-owned PacifiCorp utility wins ruling that could reduce Oregon wildfire damages
The panel said jurors were wrongly told to assume trial evidence applied to all class members, and returned the case to a lower court judge.
- On Wednesday, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Berkshire Hathaway's PacifiCorp unit, finding a trial judge erred by allowing litigation over 2020 wildfires to proceed as a class action.
- Residents and business owners accused PacifiCorp of negligently failing to shut off power lines during a Labor Day weekend windstorm, which ignited four wildfires that damaged more than 2,000 properties.
- Judge Anna Joyce wrote that jurors could not "assume that the evidence at the trial applies to all class members," as evidence concerned "particular issues concerning particular wildfires" like Santiam Canyon.
- The appeals court returned the case to Judge Steffan Alexander to reconsider whether a single class was appropriate. Plaintiff lawyer Jay Edelson called the decision a "procedural setback" that "did not address the merits of his clients' negligence claims."
- PacifiCorp has reached about $2.2 billion in settlements with approximately 4,600 wildfire claimants, though Standard & Poor's warned last month it may downgrade the utility to "junk" status if future jury awards remained high.
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24 Articles
Oregon appellate ruling in PacifiCorp case could jeopardize $1B in wildfire victim damages
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Oregon appellate ruling in PacifiCorp case could jeopardize $1 billion in wildfire victim damages
An Oregon appeals court has sided with PacifiCorp in a ruling that could possibly jeopardize over $1 billion in damages for victims of the state's devastating 2020 wildfires
Herald and News
Salem ReporterOregon appeals court hands big victory to PacifiCorp in wildfire class action suit
The Oregon Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday in favor of PacifiCorp in a long-running class action lawsuit stemming from Oregon’s historic 2020 wildfires, effectively reversing damage awards that have climbed past $1 billion and were headed much higher.
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