Buffett Utility Reaches Oregon Wildfire Settlement With Nearly 1,500 Victims

Berkshire Hathaway Inc.’s PacifiCorp said it has reached a $150 million settlement with 1,434 plaintiffs associated with the 2020 Labor Day fires in Oregon.

The accord, disclosed Wednesday in a regulatory filing, will resolve claims by property owners that the utility failed to prevent its equipment from sparking the fires in dangerous weather conditions.

Related: Mounting Oregon Wildfire Claims Threaten Ratings of Berkshire’s PacifiCorp

The settlement includes 340 of the plaintiffs of the roughly 1,900 who have pending damages claims in a class-action case that has exposed the company to billions of dollars in losses.

Related: Utilities’ Extreme Plan to Stop Wildfires: Shut Off the Power

PacifiCorp, which calls itself the largest grid operator in the western US, has been pummeled with claims that it didn’t shut off power amid dangerous weather warnings.