A Texas cattle rancher, whose ranch was destroyed by the Smokehouse Creek Fire, has filed a multi-billion-dollar class action lawsuit in a federal court in Amarillo, Texas.
Potts Law Firm said in a press release that it filed the lawsuit on behalf of Donnie Parker, owner of Spring Creek Ranch in Skellytown, Texas, on Thursday in Amarillo division of the United States District Court for the Northern Division of Texas.
The lawsuit arises out of the Smokehouse Creek Fire, which started on February 26, 2024, and destroyed over 1,000,000 acres of rangelands where 85% of the state’s cattle are located.
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The lawsuit is against corporate defendants Xcel Energy Services, Inc., Southwestern Public Service Company, and Osmose Utilities Services, Inc. It claims that the three defendants failed on account of their negligence to maintain and repair a defective utility pole which started the fire that burned for nearly three weeks and has been called the worst wildfire in the state’s history.
The suit seeks to recover property losses for all owners of ranches affected by the fire, including loss of grasslands, damage and death to wildlife, loss of fencing, loss of cattle, and loss of physical structures.
Derek Potts, lead attorney for Parker and Spring Creek Ranch, said in a statement: “All of the ranchers in the panhandle whose land was burned are likely looking at years for their properties and cattle businesses to recover from this horrific event that could have been easily prevented. We have brought this lawsuit on their behalves and are seeking speedy and fair compensation for them all from the court.”
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Source: PR Newswire
One comment
Krishnan
April 23, 2024 at 11:02 pm
Waiting for the day we have such action in India for avoidable disasters such as landslides and floods caused by government apathy and carelessness.