California Firms Join Forces to Launch FireLawsuit.com for NorCal Wildfire Victims

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Oct 18, 2017, 16:38 ET

NAPA COUNTY, Calif., Oct. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Panish Shea & Boyle LLP; Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy LLP; Dreyer Babich Buccola Wood Campora, LLP; and Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger have joined forces together with Morgan & Morgan to launch FireLawsuit.com, an online resource for victims of the still-raging Northern California wildfires that have claimed 42 lives and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.

The site offers news, FAQs, videos, a checklist for victims impacted by the fires, and free consultations for those who may want to pursue legal action against utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E).

"PG&E's negligence has sparked too many wildfires in California," says Brian Panish. "This fire has done millions of dollars in damage, costing people their livelihoods and in some cases their lives. We will work to help the victims recover and rebuild."

Reports suggest that PG&E may have failed to maintain power lines, potentially causing or contributing to the deadly wave of fire tearing through the state. California's Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is now probing what role if any PG&E played in the blaze.

PG&E does not have a spotless safety record. In April, state regulators fined the company $8.3 million for a 2015 fire that torched 550 homes and killed two people. And in September 2010, one of PG&E's natural gas pipelines ruptured, igniting a fireball that destroyed part of San Bruno and killed eight. A federal investigation found that PG&E's lack of maintenance was primarily to blame. Panish Shea & Boyle LLP represented numerous plaintiffs after that catastrophe as well.

Juries and investigators have also found PG&E responsible for sparking several other wildfires in the state, including a large 1994 fire in the Sierra.

Even after a slight rebound on Tuesday, PG&E shares are down 17 percent over the past week.

About Panish Shea & Boyle LLP
Panish Shea & Boyle LLP is a plaintiff's personal injury law firm that takes on large corporations and government entities whose negligence causes our clients' injuries, and holds them accountable. In June 2014, Panish Shea & Boyle obtained at $19.8 million jury verdict to a man who suffered severe burn and traumatic brain injuries when his rental home exploded as a result of a Southern California Gas Company's negligence. In 2008, the firm obtained a $15 million jury verdict against SoCalGas for a 14-year-old boy who was hit by a company truck. Panish Shea & Boyle LLP also represented numerous plaintiffs in the San Bruno PG&E gas explosion cases. Our attorneys are and have always been champions of consumer rights. The size, clout or financial strength of wrongdoers is never a deterrent to our pursuit for justice.

About Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy LLP
Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP, based in the San Francisco Peninsula for a half-century, engages exclusively in litigation and trials. The firm's dedication to prosecuting or defending socially just actions has earned it a national reputation. With additional offices in Los Angeles and New York, the core of CPM is its people and their dedication to principles of law, their work ethic, and their commitment to justice. Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy was founded by senior partner Joseph Cotchett. Over the years, various attorneys in the firm have gone on to serve as judges, public officeholders, and leaders of business and public entities. The firm is nationally recognized, and has received numerous awards from the legal profession and for its community involvement.

About Dreyer Babich Buccola Wood Campora, LLP
Dreyer Babich Buccola Wood Campora, LLP is the premier personal injury law firm in the Sacramento area and in Northern California. Our firm has been serving clients for 30 years. Our well-honed skill in this field gives us the ability and compassion to fight for people who have been harmed by the carelessness of others. When large businesses ignore your safety or insurance companies fail to uphold your rights, you can turn to us. We are the firm that doctors, lawyers and judges call when they and their loved ones are injured. We believe that the heart of our success centers on our commitment to you, the client. You can count on working with one of our skilled lawyers and receiving the one-on-one attention you deserve. You can also depend on caring, responsive service. In fact, most of our attorneys provide their personal cellphone numbers to clients in case of emergencies day or night.

About Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger
Established in 1959, Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger is one of the premier personal injury firms in the United States. For more than five decades, our personal injury attorneys have successfully represented injured people in both state and federal courts, before arbitration hearing boards and in mediation and settlement conferences. In the process, we have helped establish new law and used personal injury litigation to compel corporations to produce safer products. As leaders in the areas of personal injury and wrongful death litigation, our attorneys have helped shape personal injury law, while securing millions of dollars in financial compensation for injured clients.

About Morgan & Morgan
National plaintiff's law firm Morgan & Morgan fights for the people, not the powerful. Morgan & Morgan has recovered more than $5 billion for 200,000 clients. The firm has 370 attorneys across 40 offices in 11 states. With a support staff of nearly 2,000, Morgan & Morgan represents clients in a wide range of practice areas: national mass torts and class actions, personal injury, workers' compensation, medical malpractice, labor and employment, mesothelioma, and product liability lawsuits, among others.

For media inquiries, contact:

Erika Nedwell
[email protected]
212-738-6254

Karine Lim
[email protected]
212-738-6265

SOURCES: FireLawsuit.com; ClassAction.com