If you lost your home or business or suffered any losses including personal injuries or death of a loved one during these recent and ongoing wildfires in the Los Angeles/southern California area, you need a California wildfire insurance lawyer and personal injury attorney.
If you are one of the thousands of Californian homeowners (and businesses) suffering from losses due to the Palisades and Eaton fires and your insurance company is refusing or denying your claim, our bad faith insurance lawyers can help.
Key Takeaways
- If your insurance company is treating you unfairly, refuses a payout, or you feel you have been defrauded by your insurance company or one of its agents, we can help.
- Be sure to keep detailed records of your conversations and interactions with your insurance company and keep all your related documents if you haven’t lost them all in the fire.
- It is in your best interest to contact a California wildfire insurance lawyer (or personal injury attorney) – someone who specializes in dealing with insurance companies. Visit our bad faith insurance FAQ page for more information.
LA Areas Affected
by the California Wildfires
Like many homeowners affected by the Palisades and Eaton Fires, our bad faith insurance lawyers at VK Lawyers have also had to evacuate because of the fires. We know and truly empathize with what you are going through.
The Los Angeles area has suffered catastrophic losses from the recent wildfires in the Palisades, the Eaton, Sunset, Hurst, and Lidia fires. The devastation in the Palisades, Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre communities is colossal and heartbreaking.
There are going to be billions of dollars of homeowners and business insurance claims.
However, many homeowners will face challenges in getting compensated for their losses to the full extent of the coverage promised in their homeowners’ insurance policies. They will need the help of an experienced wildfire insurance lawyer.
Attorneys for Eaton Wildfire Victims
According to a Jan 11th NBC news report, the fires were fueled by extremely dry conditions and unprecedented powerful winds and include:
- The Pacific Palisades Fire east of Malibu
- The Eaton Fire near a Canyon north of LA
- The Hurst Fire north of San Fernando
- The Auto Fire in Ventura County
There have been reports that the Eaton wildfire may have started underneath high-powered electric transmission lines. We are currently monitoring this situation.
If these power lines caused the fire, the power company may be liable for the damage caused to victims of this devastating wildfire.
Our attorneys at VK Lawyers are also assisting homeowners and business owners in litigation against any potential defendants whose conduct may have contributed to the fire, including the utility company. The economic and emotional damages from this devastating fire are huge.
Our thoughts go out to all the families and persons who have been harmed by these horrendous fires.
Anyone who has been injured, or lost a loved one, a home, personal property or business from the Eaton Wildfire, please contact us for more information. We are here to help.
Call us at 213-842-8164 to speak with our wildfire insurance lawyer about your fire claims, or email us at gkk@vklawyers.com.
Standards for Prompt, Fair
& Equitable Insurance Settlements
In California, there are Standards for Prompt, Fair and Equitable Settlements.
These are case laws and statutory laws that govern fair claims handling and homeowners’ rights in addition to the California Fair Claims Settlement Practices Regulations (“Regulations”). These Regulations are extremely important.
The Regulations are standards of fair claims handling that insurance companies are required to follow in the State of California.
You can download the California Fair Claims Settlement Practiced Regulations from the California Department of Insurance website.
The Regulations are about fifty pages long and are the standards insurance companies must follow when handling California Homeowners’ insurance claims.
Homeowner Insurance Claims – Regulation 2695.9
Regulation 2695.9 deals exclusively with homeowners’ claims.
It states your rights and the obligations of the homeowner’s insurance company. Regulations 2695.1 through 2695.7 are also pertinent and important regarding your rights when dealing with your insurance company.
Failure to Comply = Bad Faith
Failure of an insurance company to comply with the Regulations is evidence of “Bad Faith.” Our wildfire insurance lawyers can explain this further.
It means that an insurance company that fails to comply with the regulations is liable for reasonable and unfair claims handling.
This exposes the insurance company to liability for amounts owed under the policy and any other damage including emotional distress caused by unfair and unreasonable claims handling.
It also exposes them to contract damages, tort damages like emotional distress and other losses, attorney fees, and in some cases punitive damages.
Contact Our
Bad Faith Insurance Lawyers
In our early careers, we represented insurance companies and witnessed many of the injustices… we know first-hand how they think and operate. We now only represent homeowners and businesses in bad faith insurance cases.
Whatever your insurance problem, if you feel your insurance company is treating you unfairly, call us.
Our experienced wildfire insurance lawyer can advise you on all your options including insurance claims against the insurer and potential liability claims against those who may be responsible for the fires.
As a homeowner dealing with an unfair insurance company during this crisis, you must know your rights to ensure the best settlement of an insurance claim.
We can help! Call us with any of your questions regarding your claim.
Call 213-842-8164
or email Gary Kwasniewski at
gkk@vklawyers.com
Wildfire Insurance FAQ
Some of the reasons insurance companies cite for leaving California include higher risks of natural disasters, higher cost of doing business, less profits, market conditions, and the inability to adequately raise insurance premiums.
Even though California insurance companies can drop or non-renew your policy, they must abide by the rules and regulations. If they do not abide by these strict rules and regulations, you can challenge the cancellation or non-renewal.
The California 1-year moratorium on non-renewal insurance is an important consumer protection law. If your Zip code is within the mandatory moratorium area you should be protected from cancellation or non-renewal for up to one year from the date of the Governor’s emergency declaration.
The state-run California Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan (FAIR Plan) provides homeowners and businesses limited basic property insurance coverage if they are unable to acquire coverage from other California insurance companies.
