Baron & Budd, P.C. Announces $38 Million Resolution with PG&E on Behalf of Six Public Entities Related to the 2022 Mosquito Fire

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the national law firm of Baron & Budd, together with co-counsel Diab Chambers LLP, announced a $38 million resolution with PG&E on behalf of six public entities relating to public and natural resource damage claims arising from the 2022 Mosquito Fire.

The Mosquito Fire began on September 6, 2022, near the Oxbow Reservoir in Placer County and burned approximately 76,788 acres over a 51-day period, making it California’s largest wildfire of 2022. The fire resulted in extensive impacts to public infrastructure and natural resources across El Dorado and Placer Counties.

“We were honored to represent these public entities in achieving this resolution,” said Torri Sherlin, Shareholder at Baron & Budd. “The funds recovered will support important repair, restoration, and recovery efforts for public infrastructure and natural resources affected by the Mosquito Fire.”

The six public entities participating in the resolution are El Dorado County, Placer County, the Placer County Resource Conservation District, the Georgetown Divide Public Utility District, the Georgetown Fire Protection District, and the El Dorado County Water Agency. The matter was resolved through mediation before JAMS Mediator Michael Ornstil.

The public entities asserted claims for public and natural resource damages, including impacts to roads and pavement, water systems, staff labor, lost revenues, increased operational expenses, and other fire-related costs. The $38 million resolution is allocated among the six public entities based on their respective claimed damages. The resolution also includes amounts related to FEMA and Cal OES assistance.

The public entities were represented by John Fiske, Torri Sherlin, and Taylor O’Neal of Baron & Budd, P.C., and Ed Diab and Kristen Barton of Diab Chambers LLP, working in coordination with the public entities’ respective in-house government counsel. Mr. Fiske, Ms. Sherlin, and Mr. Diab serve as liaison counsel to the Public Entity Plaintiffs in the Mosquito Fire litigation.

About Baron & Budd, P.C.

With more than 40 years of experience, Baron & Budd has the expertise and resources to handle complex litigation throughout the United States. As a law firm that takes pride in remaining at the forefront of litigation, Baron & Budd has spearheaded many significant cases for hundreds of public entities and tens of thousands of individuals. Since the firm was founded in 1977, Baron & Budd has achieved substantial national acclaim for its work on cutting-edge litigation, trying cases to verdict and settling cases in areas of litigation as diverse and significant as dangerous and highly addictive pharmaceuticals, defective medical devices, asbestos and mesothelioma, wildfires, environmental contamination, fraudulent banking practices, e-cigarettes, motor vehicles, federal whistleblower cases, and other consumer fraud issues.