California’s Camp Fire property damage victims and others who have sustained losses from wildfires are filing lawsuits against Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). In addition, there is a real possibility that the utility giant may face criminal charges. PG&E, which has already admitted to liability in connection with a faulty transmission tower near the town of Paradise, is also facing lawsuits from three major insurers.

Beyond the Camp Fire property damage, wildfires over the past two years alone include the Woolsey and Thomas Fires in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties and the Hill Fire in the Santa Rosa Valley.

The Thomas fire alone burned nearly 300,000 acres and resulted in the destruction of over 1,000 buildings. Another utility, Southern California Edison, has also acknowledged partial responsibility in that fire, according to National Public Radio.

Camp Fire Property Damage and Death

The Camp Fire started on Nov. 8 and was the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in over a century. By the time it was fully contained seventeen days later, the fire had claimed nearly 90 human lives and destroyed almost 19,000 homes and buildings. Insurance losses connected with Camp Fire property damage have been estimated to be between $7.5 billion and $10 billion.

While conditions in the region had been dry for several months, investigators believe the proximate cause to be a failed hook used to hold up power lines. The evidence showed that the hook had been broken for some time before the fire broke out.

A Corporate Criminal Recidivist?

In addition to Camp Fire property damage and loss of life, PG&E bears responsibility for a number of previous disasters. The company is already a convicted felon in connection with the San Bruno gas explosion near San Francisco in 2010. PG&E has been on probation since that time; in addition, the company was sentenced to 10,000 hours of community service and was required to air television ads acknowledging its responsibility.

Over the past 20 years, PG&E has been found liable for dozens of wildfires. In virtually all cases, these were caused by the utility’s failure to maintain its equipment and repeated violations of California state safety regulations. Despite having been fined and penalized repeatedly, very little has changed at PG&E.

Recently, California’s Attorney General, Xavier Becerra, filed a brief with the same federal court overseeing PG&E’s probation, recommending that the utility company be prosecuted for the murder of the people killed in 2018 wildfires. If this happens and PG&E is found guilty, it could face a corporate “death penalty” by having its charter revoked and its assets seized.

Meanwhile, Civil Lawsuits Continue to Be Filed

Lawsuits over Camp Fire property damage started being filed shortly after the fire was contained. In addition to numerous individuals who suffered tremendous losses (including the deaths of family members), three major insurance carriers – Allstate, State Farm, and USAA – have filed suit in anticipation of claims that will easily run into the tens of billions of dollars.