An Oregon jury has ordered PacifiCorp to pay $305 million to 16 victims of the state’s devastating 2020 wildfires, marking the latest verdict in an ongoing class-action lawsuit that includes thousands of plaintiffs.
The utility has now been ordered to pay more than $1 billion in total damages following a 2023 trial in which it was found liable for negligently failing to shut off power during a severe windstorm, despite warnings from top fire officials.
PacifiCorp’s appeal is currently moving through state court. Meanwhile, more than 1,000 additional class members are scheduled for trials in 2026 and 2027.
The 2020 Labor Day weekend fires were among the most destructive natural disasters in Oregon’s history. Eleven people were killed, more than 1,560 square miles burned, and thousands of homes were destroyed.
Wednesday’s award came from a jury in Multnomah County Circuit Court and applies to 16 victims of the Santiam Canyon fire 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,” said Shawn Rabin, the attorney who led the trial team representing the plaintiffs.
In an emailed statement, PacifiCorp called the verdict an “irresponsible outcome,” maintaining that it did not start or contribute to the fire, citing findings from the Oregon Department of Forestry.
In a report released last year, the department found that 12 of 19 fires in Santiam Canyon in September 2020 were caused by embers from another blaze. The remaining seven were caused by downed power lines but were determined not to have contributed to the spread of the larger fires and were suppressed by residents or firefighters, according to the report. Attorneys for the plaintiffs have described the report as flawed.
Separately, PacifiCorp has agreed to pay more than $2 billion to settle other wildfire-related claims, including $575 million to the federal government for damage to federal lands in Oregon and California.
The legal battles over responsibility for the 2020 wildfires remain ongoing.
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