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PacifiCorp Reaches $150 Million Deal With 1,434 Labor Day 2020 Wildfire Plaintiffs

PacifiCorp is leaning on mediation to resolve remaining cases because a court‑accelerated trial pace could strain liquidity.

The skeleton of the manufactured home park is exposed after a wildfire came through the area in Talent, Oregon, U.S. September 21, 2020. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart/File Photo

Overview

  • With the new agreement, total payouts pledged to wildfire claimants rise to roughly $1.6–$1.7 billion, including a recent $125 million deal with 93 wineries and vineyards.
  • PacifiCorp says it has settled nearly 4,200 claims for about $1.6 billion to date, representing roughly 70% of individual claims in Oregon and California.
  • The utility has reserved $2.85 billion for litigation yet faces tens of billions of dollars in potential claims tied to the 2020 fires that burned more than 2,000 structures and 500,000 acres.
  • A Multnomah County judge’s decision to roughly quadruple the pace of trials could pressure liquidity and threaten investment‑grade status, according to a recent regulatory filing.
  • PacifiCorp continues to contest liability for key fires, citing an Oregon Department of Forestry report on the Beachie Creek/Santiam Canyon blaze, as retired judges facilitated the latest settlement with plaintiffs represented by Warren Allen, Swigart Law Group, and Spreter | Petiprin.