PG&E Fire Lawsuit

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) has paid billions of dollars in lawsuit settlements after several massive fires in California and deadly pipeline explosions.

What You Can Do & How We Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting PG&E fire induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know suffered losses in a PG&E fire or pipeline explosion, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Class Action Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

UPDATE: PG&E Agrees on $1B Settlement with FEMA for Wildfire Money

In March 2020, PG&E agreed to pay FEMA and state disaster-relief agencies a $1 billion settlement for services provided in California wildfires, but a bankruptcy judge clarified that it will only be paid out after 80,000 victims of the fires are paid from a $13.5 billion fund. Click here to read more.

PG&E Fire Settlements

PG&E has started paying $1 billion in settlements to local governments after the town of Paradise, CA was destroyed in a fire — but the company is still facing civil lawsuits from former residents.

Here is a list of recent PG&E fire settlements:

Butte Camp Fire (2018): In June 2019, PG&E reached a $522 million settlement for the Camp Fire in Paradise, CA, under which it would pay Paradise $270 million and pay $252 million to Butte County. PG&E also set aside $10.5 billion to cover lawsuits.
Northern California “Wine Country” Fires (2017): PG&E agreed to pay a $415 million settlement with Napa County and 8 other public entities. PG&E also set aside $2.5 billion for lawsuits.
Butte Fire (2015): PG&E paid nearly $1 billion to resolve lawsuits after a tree fell on a PG&E power line, sparking a fire that burned for 22 days, killed 2 people, destroyed 549 homes and charred 71,000 acres.
San Bruno Pipeline Explosion (2010): PG&E paid the $1.6 billion to the state of California, and around $565 million in settlements to victims of a pipeline explosion that killed 8 people.

What is the Problem?

Investigators have blamed many of these fires on:

PG&E equipment failures and malfunctions
Failing to trim trees, clear brush, and maintain power lines
No protective measures during extreme weather
Trees and branches hitting power lines
Downed power lines sparking grass fires
Sagging power lines hitting each other in high winds
And more

Cal Fire Confirms PG&E Caused Deadly Camp Fire in Paradise, CA

Cal Fire authorities have officially determined that PG&E caused the deadly Camp Fire in Paradise, California. The fire started in November 2018, sparked by malfunctioning equipment on a PG&E transmission line.

After the fire, PG&E determined that a 115,000-volt power line was damaged and fell from a tower just 15 minutes before the fire was first reported. The fire spread quickly due to high winds and dry vegetation.

The Camp Fire killed 85 people, burned 153,336 acres, and destroyed more than 18,800 structures — making it the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history.

PG&E Blamed for 1,500 Fires Since 2014

Even as PG&E increased tree-trimming and fire reduction efforts, the company admits that its equipment sparked about 1,550 fires between 2014 and 2017. Most were extinguished quickly, but some spread, causing severe devastation and loss of life.

List of Fires Caused by PG&E

Here is a list of some of the fires that have been blamed on PG&E:

Atlas Fire (Napa and Solano Counties)
Camp Fire (Butte County)
Cascade Fire (Yuba County)
Cherokee Fire (Butte County)
Highway 37 Fire (Sonoma County)
Honey Fire (Butte County)
La Porte Fire (Butte County)
Lobo Fire (Nevada County)
Nuns Fire (Napa and Sonoma Counties)
Pocket Fire (Sonoma County)
Redwood Valley/Potter Fire (Mendocino County)
Sulphur Fire (Lake County)
Tubbs Fire (Sonoma and Napa Counties)
And more

PG&E Files for Bankruptcy After Fire Lawsuits

In January 2019, PG&E filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy — legal protection to “reorganize” the company. It does not prevent lawsuits from people who suffered losses in fires. Instead, it means that PG&E fire lawsuits will go forward in bankruptcy court, with a judge instead of a jury.

Do I have a PG&E Fire Lawsuit?

Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us a case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.