Oregon Court Rules for PacifiCorp in Wildfire Lawsuit

An Oregon appeals court has issued a ruling in favor of PacifiCorp, a utility owned by BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC-CL A, which could materially reduce the company's liability for damages related to the 2020 wildfires in the United States. The decision, handed down on Wednesday, found that a trial judge erred by allowing the litigation to proceed as a class action. The Oregon Court of Appeals in Salem stated that the lower court incorrectly instructed jurors to assume that evidence presented during the trial applied to all members of the class. This error was found to be prejudicial against the utility provider. PacifiCorp has been facing claims from thousands of residents and business owners who alleged the company acted negligently by failing to de-energize power lines during a windstorm over the 2020 Labor Day weekend. While the utility had previously estimated its total potential liability could reach tens of billions of dollars, the decertification of the class action status may significantly lower that figure. The company has consistently denied the allegations of negligence. Following the ruling, representatives for both the fire victims and the utility did not immediately respond to requests for comment.