Kids & Family

Is Judge Pushing for Too Many Settlements?

An attorney representing several residents who sued PG&E for the 2010 San Bruno fire says the judge overseeing the pending trial has been too accommodating to PG&E. What do you think?

The San Mateo County Times reported that an attorney and several plaintiffs who filed lawsuits against PG&E for the San Bruno fire are complaining that the judge overseeing the pending trial is going too far to accomodate PG&E's motives.

Superior Court Judge Steven Dylina has been overseeing the proceedings related to the trial, which has now been pushed back to start in January. So far, about 15 percent of the 415 plaintiffs have settled and more are expected to do so before the January trial date, the Times reported.

Those settlements are being pursued because Dylina has been overemphasizing that process during court hearings rather than allowing the survivors of the 2010 PG&E pipeline explosion to have their day in court, according to Steven Campora, an attorney who has been representing three residents—all of whom have settled with PG&E.

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Others say that Dylina is an experienced judge who is being as fair as possible in spite of the state's budget constraints, which have diminished court resources over the last several resources.

What do you think?

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