�y��vlog

According to charges filed in State Bar Court that were disclosed Monday, Finnerty in 2013 negotiated the $53-million settlement with PG&E without the Ruigomez family’s knowledge or approval, and the family was not informed of the total settlement amount at the time.

Although PG&E had wired the money to Girardi in January 2013, the Ruigomez family did not learn of any money being available for several months.

As part of negotiations for the landmark PG&E payout, the state set up a fund in 2019 for future victims of fires caused by utilities, which now holds about $13 billion but can pay out up to $21 billion.

Abrams signed up with a San Francisco lawyer and was one of thousands who lodged claims against PG&E. But he grew frustrated by the 2019 plan to settle for $13.5 billion with a mix of cash and PG&E stock held in trust, which Watts helped negotiate and lobbied victims to approve.

Watts defended the deal as a pragmatic way of delivering compensation at a time when PG&E was in bankruptcy and facing complex legal and financial challenges.