Oregon courts ask Legislature for 12 positions to accelerate wildfire litigation trials
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Summary
The Oregon Judicial Department told the Ways and Means Public Safety Subcommittee it needs funding for 12 staff positions across two biennia to speed hundreds of wildfire-related cases consolidated in Multnomah County and resolve claims faster for survivors and heirs.
The Oregon Judicial Department asked the Joint Committee on Ways and Means — Public Safety Subcommittee on Feb. 17 for targeted staff funding to handle litigation arising from the 2020 Labor Day wildfires.
Nancy Cozine, the state court administrator, told the panel the consolidated wildfire caseload involves “over 2,000 plaintiffs, 200 cases, and over a 100 attorneys,” concentrated in Multnomah County, the state’s busiest circuit. Cozine said the department is requesting $2,330,000 for the 2025–27 biennium and $2,360,000 in 2027–29 to fund 12 dedicated positions to accelerate trial scheduling and case resolution.
OJD explained the court’s accelerated case resolution plan would schedule four jury trials per month in 2026 and increase to eight per month in 2027, with a goal of resolving all wildfire claims by 2028. Cozine said the additional positions would allow courts to protect civil and criminal dockets from spillover effects as resources are shifted to the wildfire calendar.
Committee members pressed whether defendants could settle to reduce public expense; Cozine said settlement discussions are occurring but, “so far, there’s been more litigation than settlement.” Committee members also highlighted tradeoffs with public defense staffing and urged the department to continue coordinating with parties.
The presentation framed the request as background and context; no formal action or vote was taken at the hearing. The subcommittee said it would consider this request as part of broader budget deliberations.