Oregon Supreme Court to Weigh PacifiCorp Wildfire Verdict

Utilities facing mass-tort wildfire claims in Oregon will watch how the state's high court treats jury instructions on class-wide evidence.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Utilities

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a single civic building silhouette against a distant forested ridge under overcast light. — The Oregon Supreme Court will hear arguments November 3 in a class action over more than $1.2 billion awarded to survivors of four 2020 wildfires against PacifiCorp. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Oregon Supreme Court will hear arguments on November 3, 2026, in James v. PacifiCorp, a class action over more than $1.2 billion in damages awarded to survivors of four 2020 wildfires. The Court will review an April 8, 2026 Oregon Court of Appeals ruling that reversed the Phase I liability verdict against the utility.

Why it matters

The appeals court reversed the liability verdict because jurors were improperly instructed they could assume trial evidence applied to all class members, a point that could reshape how utilities defend mass-tort claims. The outcome bears on whether wildfire liability findings can be extended across a large group of plaintiffs.

Subsequent verdicts awarded about $1.25 billion in net damages to 201 plaintiffs, and PacifiCorp posted $719 million in bonds for 129 of them during appeals. Class certification and certain damages questions remain undecided on appeal.

The players

PacifiCorp

A regional electric utility whose wildfire-related liability is now at the center of a multi-billion-dollar Oregon class action.

Oregon Supreme Court

The state's highest court, which will decide whether the appeals court correctly reversed the liability verdict against PacifiCorp.

Oregon Court of Appeals

The intermediate appellate court that reversed the Phase I liability verdict on April 8, 2026.

The details

The case stems from four 2020 wildfires, including the Santiam Canyon Fire, Echo Mountain Complex Fire, South Obenchain Fire, and 242 Fire. In June 2023, a jury found PacifiCorp grossly negligent, reckless, and willful toward 17 named plaintiffs and the wider class. The appeals court found that a jury instruction allowing jurors to assume trial evidence applied to every class member was prejudicial, because evidence about particular fires and ignition locations did not necessarily extend across the whole class.

June 2023: Jury found PacifiCorp grossly negligent in the plaintiffs' trial.
April 2024: Class members began filing additional mass complaints.
January 2026: The additional mass complaint filing period ended.
April 8, 2026: Oregon Court of Appeals reversed the Phase I liability verdict.
November 3, 2026: Oregon Supreme Court hears arguments at 1:30 p.m. in Salem.

Market Landscape

The case ties directly to the 2020 Oregon wildfires, where the four fires at issue are the foundation of more than $1.2 billion in claims against PacifiCorp. The Supreme Court's treatment of class-wide jury instructions will shape how similar utility wildfire claims are tried in the state.

Utilities and other operators in wildfire-prone regions should watch how the court handles jury instructions and class-wide evidence, since those rules can drive exposure to large verdicts. Finance and risk teams should track the bonding and appeal costs that accompany contested judgments.

The takeaway

Mass-tort exposure for utilities can turn on how a jury is instructed, so the court's ruling could influence liability planning across the sector. Operators should monitor the November 3, 2026 argument and the Court's eventual opinion as a signal for future wildfire litigation strategy.