PORTLAND, Ore. — A jury in Oregon has awarded $305 million to 16 people affected by the state’s catastrophic 2020 wildfires, marking another significant verdict in an ongoing class-action case against utility company PacifiCorp that involves thousands of plaintiffs.
With this latest decision, jury awards against PacifiCorp have now exceeded $1 billion total for class members. The utility was previously determined to be liable in a 2023 trial for failing to shut off electricity during dangerous wind conditions, despite receiving warnings from senior fire officials.
PacifiCorp is currently appealing the case through state courts. More than 1,000 additional class members have trials scheduled for 2026 and 2027.
The Labor Day weekend fires of 2020 rank among Oregon’s most catastrophic natural disasters, claiming 11 lives, scorching over 1,560 square miles (4,040 square kilometers), and destroying thousands of residences.
Wednesday’s monetary awards from the Multnomah County Circuit Court jury went to 16 people affected by the Santiam Canyon blaze in northwest Oregon.
“This verdict is a meaningful acknowledgment of the devastation they’ve endured and reaffirms the irreversible losses they’ve suffered as a result of the fires,” stated Shawn Rabin, who headed the legal team for the plaintiffs.
PacifiCorp responded via email, calling the verdict an “irresponsible outcome related to damages caused by a fire that PacifiCorp did not start or contribute to as determined by the Oregon Department of Forestry.”
“This is why we have been and will continue to challenge these verdicts,” the company stated.
According to a report issued by the Oregon Department of Forestry last year, 12 out of 19 fires in Santiam Canyon during September 2020 originated from embers of an existing fire. The remaining seven fires resulted from fallen power lines but were found to have no impact on the major fire spread in the canyon, as they were extinguished by local residents or firefighting crews.
Attorneys representing the plaintiffs have criticized this report as containing errors.
In addition to these court cases, PacifiCorp has separately agreed to pay more than $2 billion to resolve various lawsuits related to the 2020 fires, including a $575 million settlement with federal authorities for wildfire damage on government property in Oregon and California.
