COLUMBUS, Ohio — Purdue Pharma and the thousands of state and local governments suing the maker of OxyContin over the nation's deadly opioid crisis are negotiating a $10 billion to $12 billion settlement under which the Sackler family would give up ownership of the company, according to published reports. Under...
How Much Could PG&E’s Rates Rise? What You Need to Know.
Pacific Gas and Electric’s customers were warned about the cost of massive wildfires that it may have sparked. Even before California’s largest utility filed bankruptcy proceedings at the start of the year, lawyers, policymakers and consumer advocates all cautioned that the company’s liabilities in those fires would, one way or another, hit...
As Hedge Funds Fight for Control of PG&E, Here Is How Workers See It
As the elected leader of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1245, which represents approximately 12,000 frontline utility workers at Pacific Gas & Electric Co., I have paid careful attention both to legislative activity in Sacramento and to PG&E’s bankruptcy proceeding. Our members work around the clock to deliver...
PG&E to Pay $1 Billion to Local Governments for Wildfire Damage
SACRAMENTO — A California utility agreed Tuesday to pay $1 billion to 14 local governments to cover damages from a series of deadly wildfires caused by its downed power lines. The settlement is a sliver of the more than $30 billion in potential damages Pacific Gas & Electric is facing...
PG&E Power Lines Triggered Deadly Paradise Fire, State Officials Say
SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. power lines caused a fire that killed 85 people — the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in state history, California fire officials said Wednesday. Cal Fire said the transmission lines owned and operated by the San Francisco-based utility sparked the Nov. 8...
San Francisco Can Pursue Legal Fight With PG&E, Judge Rules
SAN FRANCISCO — A judge has allowed San Francisco to renew its stalled legal fight with Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. over power delivery costs. The city has been fighting with PG&E for years, arguing the utility requires it to install unnecessary and costly equipment in large projects like affordable...
PG&E Offers $105M ‘Wildfire Assistance’ Plan
SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric says it will set up a $105 million fund to help survivors of recent California wildfires started by the utility's equipment. In a court filing Wednesday, PG&E says the wildfire assistance program will provide relief for people who lost property during huge blazes...
Looming Wave of Sex Abuse Cases Poses Threat to Boy Scouts
NEW YORK — The lawyers' ads on the internet aggressively seeking clients to file sexual abuse lawsuits give a taste of what lies ahead this year for the Boy Scouts of America: potentially the most fateful chapter in its 109-year history. Sexual abuse settlements have already strained the Boy Scouts'...
Avenatti Charged With Embezzlement, Fraud, Cheating on Taxes
LOS ANGELES — Attorney Michael Avenatti has been charged in a 36-count federal indictment alleging he stole millions of dollars from clients, did not pay his taxes, committed bank fraud and lied in bankruptcy proceedings. "I look forward to the entire truth being known as opposed to a one-sided version...
Troubled PG&E Names New Chief Executive, Board
SACRAMENTO — The troubled California utility Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. named a new chief executive and board members Wednesday amid a bankruptcy proceeding. The San Francisco-based utility chose Bill Johnson as its chief executive officer and president and named 10 new board members, including former U.S. ambassadors and members...