State litigation guide · Oregon

Wildfire Damage Lawsuit in Oregon

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Statute of limitations — Oregon

Oregon: 2 years for personal injury, 6 years for property damage (ORS §§ 12.110, 12.080(3)). Discovery rule applies. Oregon's longer property damage SOL provides additional filing time for wildfire property claims.

2–6 years depending on claim type

Filing venue

Where to File in Oregon

PacifiCorp wildfire litigation is concentrated in Lane, Jackson, and Marion County Circuit Courts and the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon (Portland and Eugene). A September 2024 jury in Lane County awarded plaintiffs over $100 million after finding PacifiCorp negligent for failing to shut off power during the September 2020 Archie Creek and other fires. Oregon does not cap compensatory damages in negligence cases. The state follows a modified comparative fault system (ORS § 31.600) where recovery is reduced by the plaintiff's fault percentage. Oregon courts have rejected utility arguments that extreme wind events constitute unforeseeable 'acts of God' when utilities failed to implement available safety protocols.

Oregon data

Exposure in Oregon

Oregon's September 2020 wildfire season burned over 1 million acres in a single week, with multiple fires driven by unprecedented east wind events. PacifiCorp's failure to de-energize was identified as a contributing factor in several fires.

1M+ acres burned

Source: Oregon Department of Forestry

Approximately 4,000 residential structures were destroyed during Oregon's 2020 wildfire season, with the Almeda, Archie Creek, Beachie Creek, and other fires devastating communities in the Rogue Valley, McKenzie River corridor, and Santiam Canyon.

~4,000 homes destroyed

Source: Oregon Office of Emergency Management

A Lane County jury awarded over $100 million to plaintiffs in the PacifiCorp wildfire case in September 2024, finding the utility negligent for failing to implement power shutoffs during extreme fire weather conditions.

$100M+ jury verdict

Source: Lane County Circuit Court records

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