The Moonlight Fire Disaster
The Moonlight Fire Disaster
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In September of 2007 the Moonlight Fire burned 65,000 acres of forest land in the Northern California Sierra Nevada.

Following an investigation by CAL FIRE and US Forest Service authorities, lawsuits were filed in 2009 against Sierra Pacific Industries, the nation’s largest private landowner, and others.  Sierra Pacific ultimately decided to settle the federal claim for cash and land valued at more than $100,000,000.  However, in February of 2014 Special California State Judge Leslie C. Nichols tossed out California’s claim and assessed more than $30,000,000 in sanctions against the state for it’s legal misconduct in prosecuting the case.  Sierra Pacific then asked the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of California to vacate its settlement and assess sanctions against the United States of America as a result of the fraud committed in the course of the litigation.

Moonlight Fire wikipedia site

Event Timeline

2007
  • Moonlight Fire begins on Labor Day
2008
  • 7/22- Federal Storrie Fire Settlement with Union Pacific
2009
  • 6/30- Joint Fire Investigation Report
  • 8/4- Cal Fire Inspector White sends letter to defendants "requesting damages"
  • 8/7- CalFire files lawsuit
  • 8/31-Federal government files lawsuit
2010
  • 1/4- US Attorney Wright removed from case
2011
  • 7/? Federal settlement
  • 8/18- CalFire WIFTIR (slush) fund discovered by California Auditor
2013
  • 5/13- Joint inspector Larry Dodds testifies that white flag depositions create "shadow of deceptions"
  • 10/15- CalFire WIFITR (slush) fund audit released by California Auditor
2014
  • 2/4- Special Judge Leslie C. Nichols throws out California's claim and assesses sanction of $30 million against CalFire because of fraudulent behavior.
  • 10/9- SPI Attorneys file motion to set aside settlement
  • 10/15- Federal Judge "recuses" Eastern District due to fraud
 2015
  • 1/21/15- Defendants’ revised supplemental briefing regarding the Moonlight Prosecutors’ fraud on the court
  • 2/17/15- United States Opposition to Motion To Reopen Moonlight Fire Settlement
  • 3/9/15- Defendants’ reply in support of supplemental briefing regarding the Moonlight Prosecutors’ fraud on the court
2016

2017

2018
  • 4//18- U.S. Supreme Court may hear case about 2007 Moonlight Fire
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