Oregon Supreme Court Reviews PacifiCorp Wildfire Liability Verdict

The Oregon Supreme Court will review a verdict on Tuesday that could expose PacifiCorp to tens of billions of dollars in damages. The case involves four 2020 wildfires—Santiam Canyon, Echo Mountain Complex, South Obenchain, and 242—which claimants allege were caused by the utility's failure to shut down power lines during a windstorm.

A 2023 jury found PacifiCorp at fault and awarded $1.25 billion to 201 plaintiffs. However, the Oregon Court of Appeals set aside that verdict on April 8, citing an error in jury instructions regarding class certification. PacifiCorp denies negligence and argues the fires were too geographically distant to be treated as a single class action.

Berkshire Hathaway CEO Greg Abel has warned that massive wildfire payouts threaten the regulatory compact between utilities and government oversight. To date, PacifiCorp has paid approximately $2.3 billion in settlements to non-class claimants and $575 million to resolve U.S. government claims.