Property owners asked the Judicial Council to coordinate the pre-trial handling of their cases. In
response, the Chief Justice recently asked Calaveras County Presiding Judge to handle the matter. The Calaveras County presiding judge, the Honorable Grant Barrett, will consider the request and make a recommendation to the Chief Justice on the most appropriate site for
PG&E’s Updated Tree Cutting Schedule
On November 25, PG&E announced further tree cutting work. From November 28-December 12, PG&E will send ACRT, Inc.to pre-inspect and repatrol these areas.
Mokelumne Hill:
Jesus Maria Rd
Ponderosa Way
Worden Rd
Hwy 26
Mountain Ranch:
Whiskey Slide
East Murray Creek
Avenue A
Mountain Ranch Rd
Railroad Flat Rd
Sheep Ranch:
Railroad Flat Rd
Butte Fire: State Senator Asks if PG&E Placed Profits Over Safety
Was PG&E’s cost-cutting a cause of the Butte Fire? Did PG&E use money that was supposed to be used for tree trimming and pay it out as profit to its executives? The attorneys for the Butte Fire victims have been looking into those questions from the outset of the Butte Fire investigation.
Now State
PG&E Property Re-inspection and Further Tree Removal
PG&E has released a schedule for re-Inspection of Butte Fire properties and for further tree removal. Unfortunately the timeline for the work is so broad as to be useless as a planning tool for residents.
At seemingly arbitrary times and at the whim of the contractors over the next 10 days, PG&E may
PG&E’s New Tree Debris Removal Program: A Waste of Time?
In response to landowner complaints, PG&E has agreed to remove all woody debris that is "reasonably accessible" and is:
greater than 4 inches in diameter and 6 feet or greater in length; and
within 100 feet of a structure or foundation or within 20 feet of main roads, driveways and private roads; or
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Butte Fire Legal Team Files Death Suit
Owen Goldsmith was 82. He had lived in Calaveras for more than 30 years. When the Butte fire threatened his home, he decided to stay and fight it. 
On Tuesday, our Butte Fire legal team filed a wrongful death suit against PG&E in San Francisco on behalf of Goldsmith’s family. His daughter spoke to
Butte Fire Lawyers to Host Town Hall Informational Meeting
Our group of Butte Fire Lawyers will be hosting an informational meeting on Monday, October 26. The meeting will be at 6:00 at the Senior Center on Mountain Ranch Road. All all welcome. Information about clean up, tree removal, evidence preservation, and PG&E claims will be provided.
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Compensating Owners for the Value of Trees Lost in the Butte Fire
The Butte Fire burned properties at elevations from about 1,000 to 3,000 feet. The trees growing in those elevations of the Sierra Nevada foothills include Interior Live Oaks, Blue Oaks, Black Oaks, Douglas Fir, Sierra Lodgepole Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Sugar Pine, and others.
Most people value the beauty trees bring to their area. An owner
Will the Tree Survive the Fire Damage?
Some trees can survive a wildfire and even thrive. But many trees can be severely damaged or killed by wildfire. For property owners, it can be difficult to tell if trees have been killed by a fire or merely singed. The length of exposure and the intensity of the fire are big factors in the
Compensation for Trees Destroyed by Fire
The law recognizes that trees on private property have special value. So when a tree is destroyed due to the wrongful act of another, the wrongdoer cannot get away with simply paying the property owner for
what the tree might have sold for as timber. Rather, at least in some circumstances, the wrongdoer must pay