An Oregon jury has awarded $305 million to 15 wildfire survivors harmed by the Santiam Canyon wildfire that burned across hundreds of thousands of acres in 2020.
This is the largest jury verdict issued in relation to the James v. PacifiCorp class-action lawsuit, pushing PacifiCorp’s total liability past $1 billion.
PacifiCorp — the parent company of Pacific Power, Oregon’s second-largest electric utility — kept its lines charged over the 2020 Labor Day weekend, despite fire officials’ warnings about hot, windy weather.
Five people died in the Santiam Canyon fire, and more than 400,000 acres burned across four counties.
The Santiam Canyon wildfire burns in Gates, Ore., on Sept. 7, 2020. PacifiCorp has faced hundreds of lawsuits in relation to this and other wildfires that burned in Oregon and California that weekend.
Courtesy of U.S. Forest Service / Courtesy of U.S. Forest Service
In 2023, a jury found PacifiCorp was reckless and acted in “gross negligence” in relation to multiple wildfires, including the Santiam fire. In addition to the 17 plaintiffs who sued the company in that case, the jury found a broader class of thousands of people can bring additional claims against PacifiCorp for those wildfires.
This is the 15th trial to conclude so far. Another 167 trials are scheduled through 2027.
PacifiCorp appealed the class-action lawsuit last year, and its executives continue to deny liability. In court documents, it repeatedly points to a 2025 state report that found no evidence connecting PacifiCorp’s equipment to the Santiam Canyon fire.
“Today’s verdict is an irresponsible outcome related to damages caused by a fire that PacifiCorp did not start or contribute to as determined by the Oregon Department of Forestry,” PacifiCorp said in an emailed statement to OPB. “This is why we have been and will continue to challenge these verdicts.”
Plaintiffs’ attorneys have accused the Oregon Department of Forestry staff of ignoring testimony from key witnesses, including federal firefighters who were first to respond to the fire.
Outside of the class-action lawsuit, PacifiCorp continues to settle claims with other agencies and businesses. Last week, the company agreed to pay the federal government $575 million over public lands that burned in Oregon and California.
