Bankruptcy experts say the judge, Dennis Montali , will almost certainly approve bonuses in some form. “In general, courts are extremely deferential to managers who say they need to pay bonuses,” said Jared A. Ellias , a professor at the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law.

At the end of last year, PG&E had $77 billion in assets and $64 billion in liabilities, including $14 billion in wildfire claims. But the figures on the liability side continue to grow.

PG&E has estimated that it faces wildfire claims of at least $30 billion, a sum that reflects the devastating fires of 2017 and 2018. Among them was the Camp Fire, the deadliest in state history, which killed at least 85 people in November. PG&E said last month that its equipment had probably caused the fire, making the utility liable for property damage under state law even if it was not negligent.

There is widespread sympathy for the wildfire victims in California. Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked the bankruptcy court to give strong representation to the victims.

But even if PG&E offered to make payments to some wildfire victims, other parties with claims might successfully block such a move. Legal scholars struggled to think of any large bankruptcy case in which individuals’ claims were paid before others. “All these fire victim claims are unsecured claims,” said Kenneth Ayotte , a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

The wildfire victims have an organized voice in the proceedings through an official committee set up last month. Another committee represents other unsecured creditors, including investors, contractors, union members and wholesale power suppliers. Though the committees have equal standing in the court, the groups may not always want the same thing.