Overview
At a Glance
Defended a major California utility in a consolidated subrogation MDL arising from a multi-year series of catastrophic Northern California wildfires. The matter combined federal MDL proceedings in the Northern District of California with parallel JCCP litigation in California state court and concurrent Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.
Strategic Coordination
The team developed insurance carrier negotiation strategy across more than thirty subrogating carriers representing billions of dollars in aggregate exposure. Inverse condemnation defense theory was refined in coordination with bankruptcy plan negotiations, requiring trial counsel, restructuring professionals, and the Fire Victim Trust trustees to operate under a unified strategic framework.
Key Contributions
- Restructured the Fire Victim Trust framework to accommodate subrogation priority within the broader plan of reorganization.
- Allocated recovery among multiple fire-event cohorts to reconcile competing claimant interests under unified settlement architecture.
- Resolved carrier exposure through structured settlements that satisfied subrogation, policyholder, and equity stakeholder priorities simultaneously.
Resolution
The coordinated resolution preserved client solvency, satisfied policyholder and carrier interests, and allowed the utility to emerge from bankruptcy with insurance relationships and regulatory standing intact.
Engagement Details
The Practical Particulars
Every matter carries its own practical particulars, drawn from how this engagement actually unfolded. What follows is stated plainly, as the record of this matter alone. It describes what happened here, not what another client's matter might yield.
- Outcome
- settlement
- Resolution
- Resolved billions in aggregate carrier exposure across consolidated MDL and parallel JCCP proceedings. Restructured the Fire Victim Trust framework to accommodate subrogation priority. The coordinated settlement preserved client solvency and allowed the utility to emerge from bankruptcy with regulatory standing intact.
- Geography
- CA, US
- Resolved
- June 3, 2026
- Duration
- 36 months
- Attorneys
- Patty Hewes
Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict a similar outcome in any future matter. Every engagement is unique and must be evaluated on its own facts and circumstances.
Layered disputes, layered counsel.
Weighing a Comparable Matter?
Complex litigation rarely stays confined to a single court or a single set of stakeholders. If your organization is facing something similarly layered, the firm's Wildfire Litigation team can discuss where things stand.