Timeline Trust Leadership Claim Process

About The Trust

Helping people rebuild their lives

Under the direction of Cathy Yanni (Trustee), the Fire Victim Trust is focused on resolving Fire Victims’ claims to help them recover and move on successfully with their lives. The Trust reviews claims and issues Determination Notices daily and disburses payments twice monthly, compensating Fire Victims for economic and non-economic damages caused by the 2015 Butte, 2017 North Bay, and 2018 Camp Fires, including destruction or damage to real estate and personal property, additional living expenses, lost wages, business losses, emotional distress, personal injury or death and related medical expenses.

Timeline Trust Leadership Claim Process

Timeline

9/9/15

Butte Fire

10/9/17

North Bay Wildfires (includes 22 major fires)

11/8/18

Camp Fire

1/29/19

PG&E filed for bankruptcy protection

6/10/19

Cathy Yanni appointed Administrator of Wildfire Assistance Program

12/1/19

PG&E and Tort Claimants Committee reached $13.5 billion settlement

4/14/20

Hon. John K. Trotter (ret.) and Cathy Yanni appointed Trustee and Claims Administrator of the Fire Victim Trust (FVT)

6/20/20

Bankruptcy Court confirmed PG&E’s Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization

7/1/20

FVT established and funded with $5.4 billion cash and PG&E stock

7/1/20

FVT began accepting claims information on FVT Portal

8/17/20

Claims Questionnaire available

11/23/20

FVT began issuing Preliminary Payments to Fire Victims

12/31/20

Original Claims Questionnaire filing deadline (later extended to 2/26/21)

1/15/21

$758 million cash payment received from PG&E

2/26/21

Claims Questionnaire filing deadline (extended from 12/31/20)

3/12/21

Trust announced initial 30% pro rata payment percentage

3/15/21

FVT began issuing Pro Rata Payments to Fire Victims

6/25/21

$1B Awarded in Determination Notices

8/13/21

$2B Awarded in Determination Notices

9/22/21

$3B Awarded in Determination Notices

10/15/21

$1B Paid to Fire Victims

10/29/21

$4B Awarded in Determination Notices

12/9/21

$5B Awarded in Determination Notices

1/17/22

$592 million cash payment received from PG&E

1/28/22

$6B Awarded in Determination Notices

2/1/22

Trust announced increased 45% pro rata payment percentage

2/15/22

$2B Paid to Fire Victims

3/3/22

$7B Awarded in Determination Notices

3/15/22

$3B Paid to Fire Victims

4/11/22

$8B Awarded in Determination Notices

5/16/22

$9B Awarded in Determination Notices

6/15/22

$4B Paid to Fire Victims

6/23/22

$10B Awarded in Determination Notices

7/1/22

Cathy Yanni becomes Trustee of the Fire Victim Trust

7/29/22

$11B Awarded in Determination Notices

9/7/22

$12B Awarded in Determination Notices

9/30/22

$5B Paid to Fire Victims

10/13/22

$13B Awarded in Determination Notices

11/29/22

$14B Awarded in Determination Notices

1/11/23

Trust announced increased 60% pro rata payment percentage

1/24/23

$15B Awarded in Determination Notices

1/31/23

$6B Paid to Fire Victims

2/7/23

$8B Paid to Fire Victims

3/27/23

$16B Awarded in Determination Notices

4/28/23

$9B Paid to Fire Victims

6/8/23

$17B Awarded in Determination Notices

7/31/23

$10B Paid to Fire Victims

8/11/23

$18B Awarded in Determination Notices

12/26/23

$19B Awarded in Determination Notices

1/12/24

$11B Paid to Fire Victims

3/12/24

Trust announced increased 66% pro rata payment percentage

Trust Leadership

Cathy Yanni

Trustee

Cathy Yanni
Trustee
Cathy Yanni became the Trustee of the Fire Victim Trust effective July 1, 2022. In her previous role as Claims Administrator, Yanni assisted the former Trustee, the Honorable John K. Trotter (ret.), in Trust oversight, and she directly oversaw all Fire Victim claims resolution, including design and implementation of the claims resolution process, from establishing eligibility requirements and claims review procedures to ensuring that funds are distributed in a fair and equitable manner. Yanni also served Fire Victims as the Administrator of the Wildfire Assistance Program.

Previous to her work on behalf of Fire Victims, Yanni settled tens of thousands of cases, facilitated distribution of billions of dollars in settlement funds to Claimants, and oversaw multiple claims reconciliation processes. She has been a Court Appointed Special Master and/or Mediator in numerous cases involving wildfires, mass torts, and class actions. In addition to being appointed as an appeal panelist in the Takata Airbag Tort Compensation Trust Fund established in the TK Holdings Inc. bankruptcy case, she has been appointed as an Administrator, Special Master, or Mediator in thousands of other cases. She also worked with Justice Trotter to formulate a resolution program for the 2007 San Diego fire cases, ultimately acting as mediator and arbitrator for the program.

David Agretelis

Claims Administrator

In his role as Claims Administrator, David Agretelis oversees all Fire Victim claims resolution and ensures that funds are distributed in a fair and equitable manner. He also was instrumental in designing and implementing the Fire Victim Trust’s claims resolution process and eligibility requirements and served Fire Victims as the Assistant Administrator of the Wildfire Assistance Program.

Tim Jorstad

Chief Financial Officer

In his role as Chief Financial Officer, Tim Jorstad prepares monthly, quarterly and annual financial statements and budgets for Trustee and TOC review and approval, works on the annual financial statement audit, and processes vendor invoices for payment. Jorstad also consults on complex income loss claims.

BrownGreer PLC

Claims Processor

In its role as Claims Processor, BrownGreer is responsible for executing the claims review process from initial claim submission through final resolution.

Linda Klamm

Insurance Consultant

In her role as Insurance Consultant, Linda Klamm oversees insurance and subrogation matters affecting Fire Victims’ claims resolutions. She also coordinates the transfer of fire-related insurance payment information and claim files with over 400 carriers.

Viggo Boserup

Appeals Coordinator

In his role as Appeals Coordinator, Mr. Boserup reviews and evaluates all appeals and determines whether an appeal from a Determination of the Claims Administrator should be heard by a Neutral from the General Panel or by a Neutral from the Complex Panel.

Hon. Ellen Sickles James (Ret.)

Special Master

In her role as Special Master, Judge James reviews and approves all compromises in conjunction with the evaluation, disallowance, resolution, settlement, and approval of all Fire Victim Claimants who are minors or persons with a disability.

Trust Oversight Committee

The Trust Oversight Committee ("TOC") is an oversight committee selected and appointed by the Consenting Fire Claimant Professionals and the Tort Claimants Committee to oversee the Fire Victim Trust and represent the interests of Fire Victim Claimants. The TOC members are:

Amy Bach, Esq. | United Policyholders
Douglas Boxer, Esq. | Law Office of Douglas Boxer
Elizabeth Cabraser, Esq. | Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP
Michael Kelly, Esq. | Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger
Frank M. Pitre, Esq. | Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP

Amanda L. Riddle, Esq. | Corey, Luzaich, de Ghetaldi & Riddle LLP
Bill Robins, Esq. | Robins Cloud LLP
Gerald Singleton, Esq. | Singleton Law Firm
Steven J. Skikos, Esq. | Skikos, Crawford, Skikos & Joseph, LLP

Claims Process

The Claims Resolution Procedures approved in PG&E’s bankruptcy cases require the Trust to issue a single Determination Notice that includes all claims in each Claims Questionnaire. This creates a multi-step process under which if even one claim is missing information, the Trust must notify the Fire Victim (or their lawyer, if represented) and await supplemental documents before finalizing its review and issuing a Determination Notice.

After receiving sufficient information for all claims, the Trust issues a Determination Notice that includes an aggregate award for all of the claims. Fire Victims may accept this initial determination or may request additional review and submit supplemental claim materials as part of the Reconsideration and Appeals processes. After Appeal (or any earlier point at which the Fire Victim accepts their determination), the determination becomes final, and the claims move into the payment process.

The Trust issues Determination Notices daily and issues payments twice a month. Because the Trust is a limited fund and bankruptcy laws, court order, and the Trust Documents require that eligible Fire Victims each receive an equal proportion of their awards, Fire Victims receive payments in pro rata installments commensurate with the total cash funding currently available to the Trust.

About The Trust

Helping people rebuild their lives

Timeline

9/9/15

10/9/17

11/8/18

1/29/19

6/10/19

12/1/19

4/14/20

6/20/20

7/1/20

7/1/20

8/17/20

11/23/20

12/31/20

1/15/21

2/26/21

3/12/21

3/15/21

6/25/21

8/13/21

9/22/21

10/15/21

10/29/21

12/9/21

1/17/22

1/28/22

2/1/22

2/15/22

3/3/22

3/15/22

4/11/22

5/16/22

6/15/22

6/23/22

7/1/22

7/29/22

9/7/22

9/30/22

10/13/22

11/29/22

1/11/23

1/24/23

1/31/23

2/7/23

3/27/23

4/28/23

6/8/23

7/31/23

8/11/23

12/26/23

1/12/24

3/12/24

Trust Leadership

Trust Oversight Committee

Claims Process

Claims Process Overview