PacifiCorp Hit with Huge Verdict — Again!

Oregon juries haven’t been very kind to PacifiCorp. It has been found guilty of causing 2020’s Labor Day fires in Oregon. In spite of being warned by fire officials that dangerous winds were coming, PacifiCorp kept its grid going and didn’t cut power to 600,000 people.

As it turns out, that it wasn’t a very wise decision.

Last Tuesday a jury ordered PacifiCorp to pay $42 million to 10 victims of those wildfires. The jury found the company to be negligent.

It’s the third such verdict. The first ordered the company to pay $90 million to 17 homeowners. Last month, another jury gave $85 million to nine plaintiffs.

There are some 2,500 property owners who are still involved in other suits over the same fires.

PacifiCorp is owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. The company says it will appeal the decisions, however, it also said it has settled hundreds of claims and “remains committed to settling all reasonable claims for actual damages under Oregon law.”

Source link: Insurance Journal — https://bit.ly/3IB6UaS