Town of Paradise Files Lawsuit Against PG&E for Camp Fire Damages
January 24, 2019, PARADISE, Calif. – 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.
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