PG&E settles wrongful death lawsuit days after jury is seated

PG&E Corp. reached a confidential settlement Monday in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the widow of a Bay Area agricultural consultant who was electrocuted by a fallen power line, ending the case just days after a jury had been selected in San Francisco Superior Court.

The parties informed Judge Alexandra R. Gordon that they had finalized the agreement Monday morning, prompting a one-hour delay in the scheduled proceedings while settlement documents were signed. Gordon subsequently dismissed the jury and vacated further trial proceedings.

Plaintiff Megan Dilley sued PG&E in June 2023, alleging the utility's negligence caused the death of her husband, Steven Dodge, who was killed Jan. 24, 2022, while working at a ranch in King City in Monterey County.

According to the complaint, Dodge was performing work on a catwalk at the ranch when he stopped responding to text messages. Concerned about his whereabouts, Dilley contacted the ranch and asked employees to look for him. An employee later discovered Dodge motionless and draped over the catwalk. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

A subsequent investigation by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health concluded that a fallen power line was the apparent cause of the fatal incident.

Dilley alleged PG&E failed to properly inspect, maintain and repair its electrical infrastructure and contended that those failures were the sole cause of her husband's death.

PG&E denied liability in court filings, disputing claims of negligence and asserting that any injuries or losses resulted from the acts of third parties or other causes beyond the utility's responsibility.

Attorneys Andrea G. Posey and Miles B. Cooper of Coopers LLP, who represented Dilley, declined to comment on the settlement.

PG&E was represented by Brad D. Brian, Blanca F. Young, Dane P. Shikman, David T. Ryan, Brandon Thomas and Shannon C. Galvin Aminirad of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, along with Mark J. Hancock of Gough & Hancock LLP and Jonathan I. Kravis of Liu Shur Kravis LLP.

Brian and Young did not respond to requests for comment.

The settlement resolves litigation that had been pending for more than three years and came on the eve of trial after a jury had already been seated.

The case is Megan Dilley, as an individual and as successor in interest, v. PG&E Corporation et al., CGC-23-607138 (San Francisco Superior Court, filed June 14, 2023).