PacifiCorp News

Pacificorp Ordered to Pay Oregon Wildfire Victims Another $42M

A jury in Oregon has ordered PacifiCorp to pay more than $42 million to 10 victims of devastating wildfires on Labor Day 2020 — the latest verdict in litigation that is expected to see the electric utility on the hook …

Berkshire Utility Reaches $299 Million Oregon Fire Accord

Berkshire Hathaway Energy Co.’s PacifiCorp said it will pay $299 million to settle claims over wildfires that burned homes in southwest Oregon, averting another jury trial in litigation that has already exposed the utility to billions in damages. The accord, …

Oregon Regulator to Investigate Pacificorp’s Request to Limit Wildfire Liability

Oregon’s utility regulator this week said it would investigate a petition by PacifiCorp to limit its liability from future wildfire-related lawsuits, delaying a decision on the power provider’s request by as long as nine months. In October, the Berkshire Hathaway …

Berkshire Hathaway Energy Shows Unusual Risk Appetite in Wildfire Court Fight

Berkshire Hathaway Energy Co.’s PacifiCorp has been battered in an unprecedented court fight over the utility’s failure to prevent massive wildfire destruction in Oregon. The largest grid operator in the western US faces the risk that it will have to …

Utility Investors Wary of Exposures After Buffet’s PacifiCorp Held Liable for Wildfires

Destructive wildfires are now an almost routine part of summer in the American West, and electrical utilities have likewise become used to having their power lines and equipment blamed for igniting the blazes. But a jury verdict last month ordering …

Warren Buffett’s PacifiCorp Sued by Oregon Wineries Over Fire Damage

Berkshire Hathaway Inc.’s PacifiCorp was sued by Oregon wineries claiming that smoke from wildfires ignited by the utility’s equipment in 2020 destroyed their grape harvests, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in damages and lost wine sales. The lawsuits …

Verdict in Oregon Wildfires Case Highlights Risks Utilities Face Amid Climate Change

A jury verdict that found an Oregon power company liable for devastating wildfires – and potentially billions of dollars in damages – is highlighting the legal and financial risks utilities take if they fail to take proper precautions in a …

Oregon Jury: PacifiCorp Must Pay Punitive Damages for Fires, Plus Award That Could Reach Billions

A jury on Wednesday ordered the electric utility PacifiCorp to pay punitive damages for causing devastating wildfires in Oregon in 2020 – on top of an earlier verdict already expected to amount to billions of dollars. The decision came two …

PacifiCorp Could Owe Billions After Jury Verdict in Devastating Oregon Wildfires

A jury in Oregon this week found the electric utility PacifiCorp responsible for causing devastating fires during Labor Day weekend in 2020, ordering the company to pay tens of millions of dollars to 17 homeowners who sued and finding it …

$1.6B Trial Starts Against Utility Over Fatal 2020 Oregon Wildfires

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A trial connected to a $1.6 billion class action lawsuit against utility PacifiCorp over the catastrophic Labor Day 2020 wildfires in Oregon started Tuesday in Portland. The fires in 2020 killed nine people, burned more than …