California Attorney Jeffrey Nadrich Quoted By KRNV Regarding Dixie Fire Lawsuits

Attorney Jeffrey Nadrich is delighted to announce that he has been quoted by NBC-affiliated KRNV in Reno, Nevada

Los Angeles, United States – September 30, 2021 —

Attorney Jeffrey Nadrich, managing partner of Nadrich & Cohen Accident Injury Lawyers, is delighted to announce that he has been quoted by NBC-affiliated KRNV in Reno, Nevada regarding lawsuits accusing Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) of starting the Dixie Fire.

Nadrich told KRNV that PG&E is liable under California Public Resources Code § 4293 for any damages that are caused by the Dixie Fire. The code requires four feet of clearance between vegetation and any power line between 2,400 and 72,000 volts. PG&E has acknowledged that one of its 12,000 volt lines may have started the Dixie Fire when a tree came into contact with it.

“PG&E had a duty to not cause these fires and they breached this duty under California law and as a result will have to pay damages… everyone evacuated from the Dixie Fire has a claim and can be compensated,” Nadrich told KRNV.

Nadrich also stated that PG&E has the funds to pay Dixie Fire victims with, saying that PG&E can use money from the California Wildfire Fund, which was established in 2019 as a source of money to pay or reimburse utility companies with. Nadrich also said PG&E has Dixie Fire insurance coverage.

“There is an insurance policy that they have covering the Dixie Fire. It’s approximately $300 million but that’s not going to satisfy the losses which will be easily over $1 billion,” Nadrich told KRNV in an interview which was aired on the station.

PG&E, in a report it sent to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), acknowledged that a PG&E troubleman found a tree leaning into their power lines and a ground fire near the base of the tree on July 13, 2021. The utility also acknowledged in a separate SEC filing that it is “probable” that they will see financial losses in connection with the Dixie Fire.

KXTV ABC 10 reported that a worker for the utility told one of the utility’s dispatchers that “there’s a tree on a line that started a fire,” and that it “fell into the line.” Those who negligently allow fires to escape onto the property of others are liable to property owners for fire damages under California Health & Safety Code § 13007.

Article 1, § 19 of the California Constitution states that just compensation must be paid to property owners when private property is damaged for public use. California courts have ruled that this means California utilities can be held liable for any damage caused by fires they are responsible for starting. This concept is known as inverse condemnation.

The California Public Utilities Commission placed PG&E into enhanced oversight in April after finding the utility wasn’t doing enough to clear vegetation from high-risk power lines. September 2020’s Zogg Fire, according to CAL FIRE, started when a tree fell onto PG&E power lines in Shasta County. PG&E was recently described as “criminally liable” for the Zogg Fire by the office of Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett.

The Dixie Fire, as of September 23, has burned 963,276 acres of land in Butte, Plumas, Tehama, Shasta and Lassen counties in California, has destroyed 1,329 structures and has led to one fatality, according to CAL FIRE.

Jeffrey Nadrich is the managing partner of Nadrich & Cohen Accident Injury Lawyers, a California personal injury law firm which has been helping injury victims obtain justice since 1990. The firm has obtained over $350,000,000 in recoveries for clients since 1990 and currently represents victims of multiple PG&E-linked California wildfires, including the Dixie Fire, Kincade Fire and Zogg Fire. For more information about the company and the services they provide visit their website at https://personalinjurylawcal.com

Contact Info:
Name: Jeffery Nadrich
Email: Send Email
Organization: Nadrich & Cohen Accident Injury Lawyers
Address: 12100 Wilshire Blvd Suite 1250 Los Angeles, CA
Phone: (310) 826-8082
Website: https://personalinjurylawcal.com/

Release ID: 89047465