Jurors hear individual damages testimonies in PacifiCorp Oregon fires trials

Update: 

• Jurors heard individual damage testimonies as part of the first of multiple planned group trials involving a series of Labor Day 2020 fires in Oregon. 
• The testimonies follow a $90 million verdict against PacifiCorp a prior jury decided that determined the electric power company was liable for the blazes.
• PacifiCorp was ordered to pay $72 million in compensatory damages and $18 million in punitive damages. 
• A new jury heard testimony Jan. 10 from a 101-year-old WWII combat veteran who argued he lost “98 years of my life” in the so-called Echo Mountain Fire, one of four large fires that started amid high winds Sept. 7, 2020. 
• The jury also heard from three others who said the blazes harmed them, along with an expert witness who calculated their losses added up to about $1.16 million under the retail replacement value method. 

PacifiCorp settlement overview: 

• Who: PacifiCorp agreed to a $299 million settlement with 463 claimants related to the Archie Creek Complex Fire on Labor Day 2020. 
• Why: PacifiCorp is accused of not properly preparing for high winds that weekend.
• Where: The 2020 fires related to the settlement occurred in Douglas County, Oregon.

(Dec. 11, 2023)

PacifiCorp agreed to a $299 million settlement with 463 claimants related to the Archie Creek Complex Fire on Labor Day 2020.

PacifiCorp is accused of not properly preparing for high winds that weekend, according to reporting from OPB. The claimants then incurred losses when electric facilities owned and operated by PacifiCorp caused or contributed to the ignition of the fire.

The settlement includes nearly all of the claims from individual plaintiffs in the case but commercial timber claimants from a separate Roseburg complaint or the previously disclosed U.S. or Oregon Department of Justice claims, according to a filing from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

“The growing threat of wildfires to communities and businesses is bigger than any one company or industry,” the company said in a statement. “PacifiCorp will continue to collaborate with stakeholders on holistic solutions to address the impact of wildfires while leading in investments in wildfire preparedness and mitigation. The safety of our customers and communities remains our top priority.”

PacifiCorp invested $500M in 2023, will spend $1B on mitigation from 2024 to 2026 

As a result of the fires, PacifiCorp says it has upgraded its six-state emergency weather plan with improved in-house emergency management, meteorology and data science teams, along with the installation of more than 450 weather stations, grid hardening, fire-risk modeling software and enhanced vegetation management.

The company invested $500 million through 2023 and plans to invest an additional $1 billion in wildfire mitigation capital from 2024 to 2026.

PacifiCorp said it is committed to “settling all reasonable claims for actual damages as provided under Oregon law and will continue to advance its positions in other proceedings to ensure fair and appropriate outcomes.”

The CEO of Hawaiian Electric told members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee earlier this fall that it could take up to 18 months to complete an investigation into what caused an August wildfire that swept through Lahaina, Hawaii, killing nearly 100 people.  

Were you impacted by the 2020 Oregon fires? Let us know in the comments.

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