PG&E to plead guilty to 85 counts in 2018 Camp Fire and pay victims $13.5 billion, court filings show

California utility Pacific Gas and Electric Company has agreed to plead guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of unlawfully starting the Camp Fire, according to court documents filed Monday. The company is sentenced to a maximum fine of "no more than $3,486,950," and it must reimburse the Butte County District Attorney's Office $500,000 for the costs of its investigation into the blaze. Among other provisions, PG&E must establish a trust, compensating victims of the 2018 Camp Fire and other wildfires to the tune of $13.5 billion, according to the plea agreement included in a regulatory filing. It has to pay hundreds of millions to the town of Paradise and Butte County and cooperate with prosecutors' investigation, the plea deal says. PG&E also waived its right to appeal the case. Friday, the utility and the state agreed to bankruptcy terms, which included an overhaul of PG&E's board selection process, financial structure and oversight. According to investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, PG&E was responsible for the devastating Camp Fire, which killed 85 people and destroyed thousands of structures...MORE