SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Attorneys for victims of the deadly San Bruno pipeline explosion are meeting with Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to negotiate a possible global settlement to resolve the remaining civil suits filed in the wake of the blast.
San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Steven Dylina ordered the parties to meet earlier this week, hoping to avoid a costly and expensive trial.
The trial date had been set to begin next month but now that has been pushed off.
PG&E already has settled dozens of suits and is eager to resolve the outstanding 100 or so lawsuits. If the company went to trial it could face paying out huge punitive damage awards.
The Sept. 9, 2010 blast in San Bruno killed eight people, injured dozens and destroyed dozens of homes in the San Francisco suburb.
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