Jury rules utility must pay $85 million to people affected by wildfires in Oregon

A jury in Portland, Oregon, on Tuesday awarded $85 million to nine people who suffered losses from wildfires that destroyed communities and burned millions of acres in September 2020. The verdict is the latest development against electric utility PacifiCorp over its responsibility for the disaster . to burn.

Last June, a jury found PacifiCorp liable for damages for failing to cut power to its 600,000 customers despite warnings from the governor's then-chief of staff and top fire officials. according to the Associated Press. The jury awarded approximately $90 million to 17 plaintiffs in the case, and found that PacifiCorp was also liable to a broader group of thousands of homeowners affected by the fires.

Tuesday's verdict, which followed a six-day trial this month, was the first case “focused exclusively on the harm of individuals” after last year's class-action verdict, according to lawyers for the nine plaintiffs. Additional trials were expected in February and April.

The utility could face billions of dollars in liability to homeowners.

PacifiCorp, owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, said in a statement that it expects post-judgment judgments and insurance payments to bring its share of the verdict to just under $79 million, and that it plans to appeal the case.

“The growing threat of wildfires to communities and businesses is greater than to any single company or sector,” PacifiCorp said in a statement.

Tuesday's verdict included more than $6 million in economic and $56 million in non-economic damages, plus additional punitive damages, Nick Rosinia, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys, said in a statement.

The September 2020 wildfires killed at least nine people and burned more than five million hectares in three states. Exceptionally dry conditions, combined with unusually strong and hot easterly winds, caused the wildfires to burn out of control.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs said a jury in Portland heard three days of testimony from victims of the fires, which started on September 7, 2020. A man described how he and his wife jumped into a river near their property while the flames enveloped their houses. At home. Another survivor, a 101-year-old World War II veteran, said he had lost his home and decades of memories, Mr. Rosinia said.

The next compensation trial is scheduled for February 26 and will seek compensation for another nine people affected by the fires, as well as for Upward Bound Camp, a program for people with special needs that was also destroyed by the flames.