PG&E Won’t Make Victims of Deadly Fire Pay Its Criminal Fine
- Payment to be delayed so fund can generate interest for fines
- Fire victims ‘satisfied with this result,’ their lawyer says
A burned-out vehicle stands after the Camp Fire in Paradise, California in 2018.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
PG&E Corp. won’t tap a fund for wildfire victims to pay $4 million in fines and expenses for involuntary manslaughter, avoiding a possible hurdle to its exit from bankruptcy.
Insurers with claims against PG&E in bankruptcy agreed to wait 15 days to be paid, letting the fund generate enough interest to cover the fine, according to a lawyer for the fire victims.
“This takes care of our concerns that paying the fine would reduce the amount available for the victims,” Mike Danko, the lawyer for the victims, said in an email. “We’re satisfied with this result.”