PG&E "San Bruno Fire" Cases

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 18, 2019
DocketA152330
StatusPublished

This text of PG&E "San Bruno Fire" Cases (PG&E "San Bruno Fire" Cases) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
PG&E "San Bruno Fire" Cases, (Cal. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

Filed 12/18/19 CERTIFIED FOR PUBLICATION

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FIRST APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION THREE

PG&E “SAN BRUNO FIRE” CASES

A152330

(San Mateo County Super. Ct. No. JCCP4648)

This appeal arises from the settlement of several shareholder derivative lawsuits filed against the management of Pacific Gas & Electric Corporation and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (collectively referred to as “PG&E”) regarding the 2010 pipeline explosion in San Bruno. The lawsuits were consolidated as part of the PG&E San Bruno Fire Derivative Cases and resolved by a settlement agreement that provided for settling plaintiffs’ counsel to be paid in the aggregate $25 million in attorney fees and $500,000 in costs. By his notice of appeal filed on August 30, 2017, settling plaintiff Gary Sender (Sender) seeks to challenge the court’s allocation determination embodied in three orders issued on April 17, 21, and 24, 2017. The appeal is opposed by respondents Hind Bou- Salman (Bou-Salman) and Louis Marini (Marini), two other settling plaintiffs, who seek dismissal of the appeal on various grounds. We dismiss the appeal as the operative settlement agreement unequivocally deems the trial court’s allocation determination to be final and not subject to appellate review. FACTS We set forth only those facts necessary to give context to our ruling.

1 Following the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion, area residents filed numerous lawsuits seeking to recover damages for personal injuries and property damage. The residents’ lawsuits were coordinated as JCCP No. 4648 and assigned to a trial court for all purposes. Subsequently, PG&E shareholders Sender, Bou-Salman, and Marini (hereinafter also collectively referred to as plaintiffs) filed derivative lawsuits against the management of PG&E, which lawsuits were coordinated with the residents’ lawsuits as well as additional shareholders’ derivative lawsuits. In March 2017, plaintiffs, by named lead co-counsel Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP and Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP,1 filed a motion asking the trial court for preliminary approval of a settlement agreement that resolved their shareholder derivative lawsuits, as well as certain additional shareholders’ derivative lawsuits. The stipulation of settlement included the following definitions: “1.9 ‘Final’ means the time when a judgment that has not been reversed, vacated, or modified in any way is no longer subject to appellate review, either because of disposition on appeal and conclusion of the appellate process (including potential writ proceedings) or because of passage, without action, of time for seeking appellate or writ review. More specifically, it is that situation when (1) either no appeal or petition for review by writ has been filed and the time has passed for any notice of appeal or writ petition to be timely filed from the Judgment; or (2) if an appeal has been filed, the court of appeal has either affirmed the Judgment or dismissed that appeal and the time for any reconsideration or further appellate review has passed; or (3) a higher court has granted further appellate review and that court has either affirmed the underlying Judgment or affirmed the court of appeal’s decision affirming the Judgment or dismissing the appeal or writ proceeding, and the time for any reconsideration or further appellate review has passed.

1 In the third amended consolidated derivative complaint, the operative pleading, Sender was represented by listed counsel Hagens Berman Sobel Shapiro LLP, Rigrodsky & Long, P.A., and The Law Offices of Debra S. Goodman; Bou-Salman was represented by listed counsel Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP and the Law Office of Michael D. Liberty; and Marini, individually and as Trustee of the Louis R. Marini and Leona A. Marini 2012 Trust, was represented by listed counsel Corey, Luzaich, DeGhetaldi, Nastari, & Riddle LLP.

2 “1.17 ‘Plaintiffs in the Additional Derivative Cases’ means PG&E Corporation shareholders Andrew Bushkin, Iron Workers Mid-South Pension Fund, and Bruce Tellardin.

“1.18 ‘Related Persons’ means . . . attorneys . . .

“1.21 ‘Releasing Persons’ means . . . the Settling Plaintiffs . . . and each and all of their Related Persons.

“1.27 ‘Settling Parties’ means, collectively, each of the Settling Plaintiffs (on behalf of themselves and derivatively on behalf of PG&E), the SLC, PG&E, and the Settling Defendants.

“1.28 ‘Settling Plaintiffs’ means, collectively, Hind Bou-Salman, Gary Sender . . . Louis Marini.

“1.29 ‘Settling Plaintiffs’ Counsel’ means: (i) Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP; and (ii) Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP.”

The settlement agreement’s substantive paragraphs provided, in pertinent part: “2.1 Settlement Amount. In consideration of the Settlement, and subject to the terms and conditions of this Stipulation, the Settling Defendants shall cause to be paid by their insurance carriers ninety million dollars ($90,000,000.00) in unrestricted funds (the ‘Settlement Amount’) to PG&E . . . . Such payment shall be due regardless of the existence of any appeals or objections to any aspect of the Settlement, including without limitation any appeals or objections to the Settlement itself, the Court’s approval of any Fee and Expense Award or the Court’s approval of any allocation of any Fee and Expenses Award among counsel for Plaintiffs in the Action and the Additional Derivative Cases. [¶] . . . [¶]

“6.1 . . . Settling Plaintiffs intend to seek a Fee and Expense Award from the Court in an amount not to exceed twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000.00) for fees and five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000.00) in costs. PG&E Corporation agrees it will pay to Settling Plaintiffs’ Counsel a Fee and Expense Award in an amount up to twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000.00) for fees, and up to five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000.00) in costs, to be paid from the Settlement Amount, if and as ordered by and subject to the approval of the Court.

“6.2. Approval by the Court of the Fee and Expense Award shall not be a precondition to approval of the Settlement or dismissal of the San Bruno Fire Derivative Cases or the Additional Derivative Cases in accordance with this Settlement. The Settling Plaintiffs may not cancel or terminate this Settlement

3 based on the Court’s or any appellate court’s ruling with respect to attorneys’ fees and/or expenses. Any appeal relating to an award of attorneys’ fees or expenses will not affect the finality of the Settlement, the Judgment or the releases provided herein. The application for a Fee and Expense Award may be considered separately from the proposed Settlement. [¶] . . . [¶]

“6.7. In the event that the Judgment fails to become Final, or, as the result of any proceeding or successful collateral attack, the Fee and Expense Award is reduced or reversed, if the Settlement itself is voided by any party as provided herein or by the terms of the Settlement, or if the Settlement is later reversed by any court of competent and valid jurisdiction, then it shall be Settling Plaintiffs’ Counsel’s several obligations to make appropriate refunds to PG&E Corporation or any Settling Defendants’ insurance carriers that made payments of any portion of the Fee and Expense Award within fifteen (15) business days.” [¶] . . . [¶]

“9.1 The Settling Parties have agreed to a process pursuant to which counsel to Plaintiffs in the Additional Derivative Cases may receive funds from this Fee and Expense Award; specifically, counsel to Plaintiffs in the Additional Derivat[iv]e Cases may either come to agreement with Settling Plaintiffs’ Counsel on the amount of their distribution, or may make an application for an award of fees and costs to [Hon. Daniel R. Weinstein (Ret.), Hon. Zerne P. Haning III (Ret.) and Hon. Edward A.

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Bluebook (online)
PG&E "San Bruno Fire" Cases, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pge-san-bruno-fire-cases-calctapp-2019.