PacifiCorp will pay $178M to Oregon wildfire victims in latest settlement over deadly 2020 blazes

By CLAIRE RUSH
Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Pacific Power, part of PacifiCorp, says it has agreed to a nearly $180 million settlement with over 400 Oregon plaintiffs. It’s the latest multimillion-dollar payout related to the deadly 2020 wildfires that ravaged the state. The utility says it has settled nearly 1,500 claims stemming from the Labor Day 2020 wildfires, which killed nine people and destroyed thousands of homes. PacifiCorp continues to face lawsuits over the blazes, including one filed last month by dozens of Oregon wineries and vineyards seeking over $100 million in damages. In other cases that have gone to trial over the past year, Oregon juries have ordered PacifiCorp to pay hundreds of millions to victims. Ongoing litigation could leave it on the hook for billions.