(Reuters) - Victims of California’s deadliest wildfire have filed a lawsuit against PG&E; Corp (PCG.N) alleging negligence and health and safety code violations by the utility company in the blaze that has killed at least 48 people.

The lawsuit seeking damages against California’s largest public utility was filed on Tuesday in San Francisco County Superior Court by three law firms, which refer to themselves as Northern California Fire Lawyers.

“It’s important to remember that the cause (of the “Camp Fire”) has yet to be determined,” PG&E; said in a statement. “Right now, our primary focus is on the communities, supporting first responders and getting our crews positioned and ready to respond when we get access, so that we can safely restore gas and electricity to our customers.”

The Camp Fire, which began last Thursday, has all but wiped out the Sierra foothills town of Paradise in Butte County, about 175 miles (280 km) north of San Francisco, that was overrun by flames and largely incinerated.

But both PG&E; and Southern California Edison (EIX.N) have reported to regulators that they experienced problems with transmission lines or substations in areas around the time the blazes were first reported.

The lawsuit alleged that PG&E; failed to properly maintain, repair and replace its equipment and that “its inexcusable behavior contributed to the cause of the ‘Camp Fire.’”

The lawsuit alleges that prior to the Camp Fire, PG&E; began warning customers it might turn off power because of the high risk of wildfires.

“Despite its own recognition of these impending hazardous conditions, on the day of the Camp Fire’s ignition, PG&E; ultimately made the decision not to proceed with its plans for a power shutoff,” the lawsuit stated.

Last month PG&E; cut off electric power to about 60,000 customers to prevent wildfires as high winds threatened to topple trees and power lines.

Searchers looking for the remains of victims in the charred ruins of Paradise were set to expand their operation on Wednesday as firefighters stepped up efforts to contain the blaze.

The origins of the “Camp Fire” and the “Woolsey Fire” that has ravaged parts of southern California are still under investigation.

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey told KRCR television on Wednesday that attributing the fire to PG&E; at this point was “speculative.”

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But he added that officials from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) arrived in the area immediately after the fire began to ensure that any equipment or other evidence would be preserved for an investigation.

PG&E; stock slid 21.8 percent to close at $25.59.

PG&E;’s bonds have weakened broadly after the California electric utility said late Tuesday it had borrowed more than $3 billion from its credit facilities. It also warned it might face liabilities stemming from the Camp Fire that could exceed its insurance coverage.</s>Victims of California's deadliest wildfire have filed a lawsuit against PG&E Corp alleging negligence and health and safety code violations by the utility company in the blaze that has killed at least 56 people.</s>Nov 14 (Reuters) - A group of three law firms has filed lawsuit against PG&E Corp alleging negligence and health and safety code violations by the utility company in California’s deadliest ever wildfire and seeking damages for victims of the fire.

The lawsuit was filed on Nov. 13 in the San Francisco County Superior Court by the law firms, which collectively call themselves Northern California Fire Lawyers. PG&E did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting By Nick Carey)</s>On Tuesday, about two dozen victims from the Northern California town of Paradise, which was destroyed in last week’s deadly Camp Fire, filed suit against Pacific Gas and Electric Co (PG&E) alleging that the company’s lax maintenance and “inexcusable behavior” contributed to the cause of the blaze.

“Most of [the victims] are aware of PG&E’s history of starting wildfires and trying to get away with it,” Mike Danko, a lawyer from one of the three law firms representing the wildfire victims, told Grist. “They want their voice to be heard.”

The victims of the fire who are now suing PG&E lost their homes and possessions, many barely escaping with their lives. The Camp Fire — the deadliest wildfire in California’s history — has already claimed the lives of at least 56 people, with 130 still missing as of Thursday morning.

PG&E and another major utility, Southern California Edison, reported to regulators they experienced problems with transmission lines around the time the blazes started On top of that, just prior to the Camp Fire, PG&E began warning customers it might turn off power because of the high risk of wildfires. But the company ultimately decided to cancel the anti-fire measure, according to a press release:

“Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has determined that it will not proceed with plans today for a Public Safety Power Shutoff in portions of eight Northern California counties, as weather conditions did not warrant this safety measure,” reads the statement published November 8 — the same day the Camp Fire began.

The cause of the Camp Fire has yet to be determined — something PG&E officials are quick to point out. “Right now, our primary focus is on the communities, supporting first responders and getting our crews positioned and ready to respond when we get access so that we can safely restore gas and electricity to our customers,” the company said in a statement.

Danko calls PG&E’s comment “empty words.” This is not the first time the utility has been accused of being responsible for a major wildfire. In 2017, Cal Fire concluded that PG&E broke safety laws — namely, poor maintenance of trees along power lines — which led to a wildfire that took the lives of 22 people.

The new suit cites 18 separate fires and explosions caused by PG&E infrastructure since 1991, including a 2010 explosion at a PG&E natural gas pipeline that killed eight people and led to a fine to the tune of $1.6 billion from state regulators and a felony conviction issued by a jury in federal court.

If PG&E is found liable for the Camp Fire, the company’s payout could exceed its insurance coverage. This could spell financial trouble, not only for PG&E but for California customers. In September, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill designed to help PG&E cope with the fire-related costs of 2017’s wildfires by allowing the utility to pass on some of those costs on to their customers — including those who lost their homes to the wildfires.

The bill was met with swift opposition by consumer advocates who saw the bill as a bailout for a company with a damming record of lax safety oversights. “We don’t think this is safety for Main Street — we think this is safety for Wall Street,” said Mindy Spatt, a spokesperson for The Utility Reform Network consumer group. “We urged the Legislature to do something that would protect consumers and residents, but this wasn’t it.”</s>BUTTE COUNTY (KRON) - A lawsuit has been filed Tuesday against PG&E on on behalf of victims impacted by the Camp Fire that devastated Butte County.

The lawsuit alleges that PG&E failed to maintain it's equipment resulting in the deadly fire.

The fire has destroyed 7,102 structures, threatened 15,500 structures, and left 150,000 people without a home.

The victims suffered injuries and lost their homes and businesses in the fire, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that PG&E has a long history of "safety lapses that caused injury and death to California residents, and destroyed or damaged their property" citing the 2010 San Bruno gas explosion, 2017 North Bay Fires and other incidents.

A day before the fire destroyed the county, PG&E got in touch with Betsy Ann Cowley, saying they needed access to her property because their power lines were causing sparks.

PG&E has provided an “initial electric incident report” with state regulators and will fully cooperate with any investigations.

Publicly, PG&E said it experienced a problem on an electrical transmission line near the site of the massive fire, minutes before the blaze broke out.

The cause of the Camp Fire is still under investigation, according to CAL Fire.

On Tuesday evening, Paul Doherty with PG&E responded in reference to the emails talking about the sparks and PG&E infrastructure related to the Camp Fire:

"Based on our initial review, the email correspondence with the customer in question was about future planned work on a different transmission line in the area. That line had previously been deenergized and was not operational when the Camp Fire started. We have not seen anything that includes a discussion with the customer in question about “sparks” and PG&E infrastructure. This is not the same line that PG&E identified in its Electric Incident Report on November 8, 2018."

WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON:</s>Nov 14 (Reuters) - A group of three law firms has filed a lawsuit against PG&E Corp alleging negligence and health and safety code violations by the utility company in California’s deadliest wildfire that has killed at least 48 people, seeking damages for multiple victims.

The “Camp Fire,” which began last Thursday, has all but wiped out the Sierra foothills town of Paradise in Butte County, about 175 miles (280 km) north of San Francisco, that was overrun by flames and largely incinerated.

Searchers looking for the remains of victims in the charred ruins of Paradise were set to expand their operation on Wednesday as firefighters stepped up efforts to contain the blaze.

The lawsuit was filed on Nov. 13 in San Francisco County Superior Court by the law firms, which collectively call themselves Northern California Fire Lawyers.

PG&E did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Nick Carey in Detroit; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)</s>The admission by California’s biggest power company that it may be to blame for at least one of the deadly fires ravaging the state sent company stock prices tumbling Wednesday by as much as 30 percent.

Meanwhile, Pacific Gas & Electric on Wednesday was also hit with the first of what's likely to be many lawsuits alleging that the infernos were the result of negligence and that the utility was more interested in boosting profits and salaries than investing in infrastructure.

"PG&E's safety record is an abomination," the suit states.

PG&E stocks were trading at $47.80 a share on Nov. 8, the day that the blazes broke out. The value of utility's shares were about $25 on Wednesday. The stock closed at 25.59, down 21.79 percent at the bell, according to CNBC.

The steep decline on Wall Street came after PG&E admitted in a document filed Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission that its equipment may have sparked the Camp Fire that’s burning in Northern California — and that they might not have enough insurance to cover the expected cost of the damage.

"While the cause of the Camp Fire is still under investigation, if the Utility's equipment is determined to be the cause, the Utility could be subject to significant liability in excess of insurance coverage," the company said in the document, which was obtained by CNBC.

That would "have a material impact on PG&E Corporation's and the Utility's financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows."

Not long after that, a trio of law firms who refer to themselves as the Northern California Fire Lawyers filed suit Tuesday in San Francisco County Superior Court alleging that PG&E failed to properly maintain, repair and replace its equipment and that “its inexcusable behavior contributed to the cause of the ‘Camp Fire.'"

"Rather than spend the money it obtains from customers for infrastructure maintenance and safety, PG&E funnels this funding to boost its own corporate profits and compensation," the suit states. "This pattern and practice of favoring profits over having a solid and well-maintained infrastructure that would be safe and dependable for years to come left PG&E vulnerable to an increased risk of a catastrophic event such as the Camp Fire.”

Before that blaze broke out, PG&E warned customers it might turn off power in some areas because of the high risk of igniting a wildfire.

"Despite its own recognition of these impending hazardous conditions, on the day of the Camp Fire's ignition, PG&E ultimately made the decision not to proceed with its plans for a power shutoff," the lawsuit states.

The three major wildfires have claimed at least 51 lives, and 48 of those fatalities were reported at the "Camp Fire," officials said. More than 237,000 acres have been consumed by the blazes, and virtually the entire town of Paradise, California was reduced to ashes.

In anticipation of the expected lawsuits, PG&E has already drawn down $3 billion from its credit line, CNBC reported. But even before the admission, the utility was taking steps to protect itself.

CEO Geisha Williams told stock holders on Nov. 5 that she would once again try to change a state policy called “inverse condemnation,” which holds utilities responsible for any damage done by their equipment even if they have done nothing intentionally wrong.

PG&E is still dealing with 200 or so lawsuits from the deadly 2017 wildfires.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection blamed PG&E equipment for starting at least 16 of those fires, which could cost the utility up to an estimate $15 billion in damages.</s>At this point, Camp Fire is already the deadliest and most destructive in the state's history. Over 9,000 firefighters are fighting the blaze and over 50,000 people have been forced to evacuate.

​A new lawsuit says it's the power company's fault, although a cause has not yet been determined by fire officials.

The lawsuit, filed in the San Francisco Superior Court on Tuesday by three law firms that collectively refer to themselves as the California Fire Lawyers on behalf of 22 plaintiffs, alleges that PG&E, California's largest electric provider, failed to properly maintain, repair and replace its equipment and that "its inexcusable behavior contributed to the cause of the ‘Camp Fire.'"

"On November 7, 2018, PG&E emailed the owner of property in Pulga in the area of origin of the Camp Fire and informed the owner they were ‘having problems with sparks' from their transmission lines and needed to inspect a transmission tower," the lawsuit states. "Even though PG&E's employees had visited the property on November 7, they did nothing to fix the cause of the sparks."

"Despite its own recognition of these impending hazardous conditions, on the day of the Camp Fire's ignition, PG&E ultimately made the decision not to proceed with its plans for a power shutoff," the lawsuit continues.

Cutting the power to prevent wildfires during periods of high danger, when dry conditions and high winds threaten to snap trees and topple power lines, is standard practice for PG&E and other area utility providers such as Southern California Edison, Reuters noted. Last month, PG&E cut power to 60,000 customers for just such a reason.

Following news of the suit, PG&E's stock fell by 21.8 percent. The company warned the Securities and Exchange Commissions on Tuesday that, if found liable for the loss of life and extensive destruction wrought by the Camp Fire, the costs could exceed its insurance coverage.

A Moody's report earlier this week projected that the Camp Fire's damages could total $6.8 billion. According to the PG&E's SEC filing on November 9, it's only got $1.4 billion in liability coverage and only has $3.46 billion in cash after borrowing from an existing revolving credit line.

"It's important to remember that the cause [of the Camp Fire] has yet to be determined," PG&E said in a statement Wednesday. "Right now, our primary focus is on the communities, supporting first responders and getting our crews positioned and ready to respond when we get access, so that we can safely restore gas and electricity to our customers."

Radio transmissions by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), the state's agency for combating wildfires, on the day the Camp Fire broke out point to downed power lines in the vicinity of the fire's origin and at the time the fire broke out.

"Engine 2 is responding. Copy, possible power lines down," says the radio transmission from last Thursday, ABC 7 in San Francisco reported on November 9. PG&E ‘s initial electric incident report to the Safety and Enforcement Division of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) notes that a power outage occurred at the site at 6:15 a.m.

According to Cal Fire, the Camp Fire started near that area only 15 minutes later, at 6:33 a.m.

If the utility giant is found liable for the blaze, it wouldn't be the first time: in 2017, Cal Fire found PG&E responsible for 12 wildfires that killed dozens of people, and in eight of those fires it violated state laws governing vegetation management, according to the fire protection agency.

"These are things that should not be happening," California State Senator Jerry Hill told ABC7, adding that he would hold the utility company responsible.

"I anticipate if these fires are shown to be PG&E's responsibility, they will be right back to the legislature and the governor," Hill said. "Trying to get another bailout as they did last year."

Utility Dive noted in June that PG&E is not generally held accountable when falling trees or branches strike or down its lines or other systems accidentally, but that it can be found responsible if one of its devices fails and ignites a fire or if it's found to have not done enough to clear vegetation from around its equipment.

However, the company has also called for changes in the state's liability laws, complaining in June that California is one of the few states in which it can be found liable for fire damages, "even if we followed established inspection and safety rules."

In September Sacramento passed SB-819, a bill authored by Hill that will protect customers from rate hikes by PG&E attempting to compensate for costs related to wildfires and other disasters, Utility Dive reported at the time.

"PG&E just has to change the way they do business," Hill told the news broadcaster. "If they don't change, then they need to be held financially, fiscally responsible for their negligence. That's assuming that they are negligent in these fires [the Camp Fire and the October 2017 Tubbs fire], and that we don't know that yet."</s>NEW YORK, Nov. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Pacific Gas and Electric Company ("Pacific Gas" or the "Company") (NYSE: PCG-PA; PCG-PB; PCG-PC; PCG-PD; PCG-PE; PCG-PG; PCG-PH; PCG-PI). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 9980.

The investigation concerns whether Pacific Gas and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

On November 8, 2018, a wildfire started in the town of Pulga, California, and subsequently incinerated the nearby town of Paradise, killing at least 42 people. On November 12, 2018, the California Public Utilities Commission launched an investigation into Pacific Gas's parent company, PG&E Corporation ("PG&E"), in order to "assess the compliance of electrical facilities with applicable rules and regulations in fire-impacted areas." On November 13, 2018, The Associated Press reported that PG&E Corporation had contacted a resident of Pulga the day before the start of the fire, "saying they needed access to her property because their power lines were causing sparks." Following these announcements, Pacific Gas's preferred share prices fell sharply, damaging investors.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.</s>PG&E (PCG ) plunges again after disclosing that its insurance would not cover its cost if the company is found responsible for the Camp Fire in northern California, which has now killed 48 people and destroyed 7,600 homes and other structures.

"With these borrowings, the entire credit facility has been drawn and PG&E now has $3.5B of cash on its balance sheet," Citi analyst Praful Mehta writes. "We think the primary driver could be concern around a downgrade to a non-investment grade credit rating and the liquidity requirements as a result of the downgrade."

A group of three law firms has filed a lawsuit against the company - no doubt the first of many - alleging negligence and health and safety code violations.

Edison International (EIX ), dealing with the impact of fires in southern California, is little changed so far today.
A lawsuit is filed against Pacific Gas and Electric Company, alleging company negligence and health and safety code violations in the Camp Fire, which has killed at least 48 people.