Town of Paradise Files Lawsuit Against PG&E for Camp Fire Damages

Business Wire

PARADISE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, nationally recognized attorneys from Baron & Budd and Dixon Diab & Chambers LLP, announced that they have filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Town of Paradise against PG&E Corporation and Pacific Gas And Electric Company, a California Corporation (collectively known as “PG&E”), to recover damages and lost taxpayer resources as a result of the historic Camp Fire. The suit was filed in Butte County Superior Court on January 24, 2019 (Case No. 19CV00259).

The Camp Fire, which began on Nov. 8, 2018, was the deadliest wildfire in the history of California. The historic blaze burned more than 150,000 acres, destroyed over 18,000 structures and killed at least 86 people. Paradise suffered unprecedented damage in the fire, which destroyed nearly the entire town. In total, the Camp Fire has been estimated to cause between $10 and $12 billion in damages.

In the suit, Paradise alleges that the Camp Fire began when electrical infrastructure owned, operated, and maintained by PG&E failed, causing a spark that ignited the blaze. The suit also alleges that PG&E was aware of the risk associated with the high-voltage power line alleged to have caused the Camp Fire prior to when the fire started. Additionally, the suit alleges that PG&E planned to de-energize power lines as a precaution against starting a fire but canceled those plans despite wind conditions.

The suit seeks damages for the loss of infrastructure, land, property, trees, public and natural resources and other taxpayer damages.

“The Town of Paradise is facing the daunting task of rebuilding its community from the ground up,” said Baron & Budd Shareholder, John Fiske. “Filing this lawsuit represents a critical step that the town must take to recover its significant losses and move forward.”

ABOUT BARON & BUDD, P.C.

Baron & Budd, P.C. is among the largest and most accomplished plaintiffs’ law firms in the country. With more than 35 years of experience, Baron & Budd has the expertise and resources to handle complex litigation throughout the United States. As a law firm that takes pride in remaining at the forefront of litigation, Baron & Budd has spearheaded many significant cases for hundreds of entities and thousands of individuals. Since the firm was founded in 1977, Baron & Budd has achieved substantial national acclaim for its work on cutting-edge litigation, trying hundreds of cases to verdict and settling tens of thousands of cases in areas of litigation as diverse as dangerous pharmaceuticals and defective medical devices, asbestos and mesothelioma, environmental contamination, fraudulent banking practices, motor vehicles, employment, and other consumer fraud issues.

ABOUT DIXON DIAB & CHAMBERS LLP

The lawyers at Dixon Diab & Chambers LLP have gained national recognition as being some of the top litigators in their respective areas of practice. Ed Diab leads the firm’s fire litigation practice and has litigated numerous wildfire cases throughout the country. Mr. Diab was appointed by the court to the Plaintiffs Executive Committee in both the 2015 Butte Fire and 2017 North Bay Fires to help lead the litigation against PG&E. Both Deborah Dixon and Robert Chambers have significant experience litigating complex, multi-party lawsuits against entities and insurance companies on behalf of individuals and businesses. Their experience in personal injury, business litigation, products liability and class actions provide integral background for fire cases, as does their direct experience handling claims on behalf of victims who suffered personal injury and property damages because of fires.