Susman Godfrey secured major courtroom victories on behalf of survivors of the devastating 2020 Oregon Labor Day wildfires, winning three recent jury verdicts totaling more than $400 million against utility company PacifiCorp.
Across these trials, juries awarded $305 million, $62 million, and $45 million to groups of wildfire survivors who lost homes, property, and livelihoods as the fires swept through communities across Oregon. The verdicts represent part of an ongoing series of damages trials following a landmark 2023 liability ruling that found PacifiCorp acted with gross negligence by failing to de-energize power lines during extreme wind conditions, contributing to the catastrophic fires.
“Each of these verdicts reflects what our clients have endured since the fires destroyed their homes, businesses, and communities,” said Susman Godfrey partner Shawn Rabin, who serves as lead trial counsel for many of the wildfire victims. “These juries carefully considered the evidence and recognized the profound and lasting impact the fires have had on the lives of the people we represent.”
The largest of the verdicts came in February 2026, when a Multnomah County jury awarded $305 million to 16 wildfire survivors, marking the largest damages award to date in the litigation. The jury’s award reflected both the extraordinary personal losses suffered by the plaintiffs and the lasting emotional trauma caused by the fires. Weeks earlier, another Oregon jury awarded $62 million to ten wildfire survivors, finding that the plaintiffs endured significant emotional distress and disruption to their lives after being forced to evacuate as the fires spread through their communities. In a separate damages trial, a jury also awarded $45 million to wildfire victims harmed by the same fires, continuing a pattern of substantial jury awards recognizing the devastation caused by the disaster.
The 2020 Labor Day fires were among the worst natural disasters in Oregon’s history, killing 11 people, burning more than one million acres, and destroying thousands of homes across the state. “These trials are about righting a wrong,” Rabin said. “Our clients lost everything through no fault of their own. These verdicts represent a meaningful step toward justice and recovery for families who are still rebuilding their lives.”
Bill Carmody and Shawn Rabin served as lead trial counsel in these cases, working alongside partner Michael Kelso and associates Dustin Fire and Henry Walter. Co-lead counsel in the wildfire litigation includes Edelson PC, Keller Rohrback, and Stoll Berne.
