Navigating Insurance Claims for Eaton Fire Survivors
Corey Gibbs Fire Lawyers are committed to helping homeowners, renters, and business owners recover from the Eaton Fire.
To date, our lawyers have represented over 6,300 survivors of utility-caused fires and explosions in California, securing over $1.5B in compensation for our clients. Through our team’s experience, we have developed resources & tips to help survivors navigate insurance claims.
This information can help you and your family recover from the aftermath of the Eaton Fire. The first step for Eaton Fire survivors is to contact their insurance companies and open a claim to seek payment as soon as possible. Contact all insurance companies with which you have policies, including:
What Should I do If My Insurance Isn’t Getting Back to Me?
Many people are reporting having trouble getting in touch with their insurance companies despite their obligation to respond to you within 15 days.
We suggest:
Communicating with your representative via written communication to ensure a timely response
As appropriate, you should escalate to a supervisor
If needed, file a complaint with the Department of Insurance
Don’t forget:
Your insurance company is legally required to act in your best interests and must fairly investigate your claim and fairly value any damaged property.
If you are receiving an illogical or unfair answer from a claims representative, appeal up the chain.
Why Should You File a Lawsuit Even if You Have Good Insurance Coverage?
You may be losing a significant amount of money if you’re relying on insurance alone. Even great insurance typically does not cover the full extent of harms resulting from the Eaton Fire. Following a fire, survivors often endure a range of physical, emotional, and financial challenges from which a lawsuit can help you recover.
According to the Washington Post, “Experts say homeowners in fire-prone areas are increasingly carrying policies that may not cover the full cost of rebuilding.”
Filing an Eaton Fire lawsuit against Southern California Edison allows you to seek compensation for losses that are not covered by insurance.
Will Participating in a Lawsuit Reduce My Insurance Money?
No. The money you receive from your insurance company is yours.
The lawsuit seeks compensation from Southern California Edison for losses that insurance may or may not cover.
How to Begin Your Eaton Fire Insurance Claims
You will need to contact your insurance company directly to open a claim. Insurers usually assign claims on a first come first served basis, so it’s important to contact them as soon as you can.
Once you open a claim, ask for a complete copy of your insurance policy, including all declarations pages, riders and endorsements. Sometimes your policy may list additional coverage in different sections, so it’s important to review the entire policy.
Insurance Coverage of Displacement Expenses for Eaton Fire Survivors
Your insurance should cover most of your displacement expenses, which may include payments for immediate needs like food, clothing, and shelter during the time you were displaced from your home.
Insurers typically limit additional living expenses coverage of displacement expenses by dollar amount or time period. However, because a State of Emergency was declared for the Eaton Fire, these limits may be extended.
Living Expenses coverage is extended to 24 months minimum in a disaster.
To easily track and submit these expenses to insurance companies, consider opening a credit card or account to use exclusively for these expenses.
Homeowners’ Coverage for Eaton Fire Survivors
When navigating homeowners’ coverage as an Eaton Fire survivor, remember that:
You have the right to replace a destroyed home elsewhere rather than rebuilding in the same location.
Your homeowners’ policy likely doesn’t cover your home’s foundation.
Most homeowners’ policies include coverage for not only your home and its contents, but also for landscaping, fences, sewer systems, and other structures such as detached garages and sheds. These coverages may be separate for your Dwelling coverage.
Your policy may also cover smoke and water damage.
If your insurer prepares a rebuild estimate, request the name and contact information of at least one local contractor who will perform the rebuild work at the rate estimated.
If you rebuild your home, you may be eligible for additional coverage that may be as much as 150% of your policy limit.
Putting Together a Personal Property Inventory for Insurance
Your insurer may ask you to provide alist of personal belongings destroyed by the fire. This is a very important list, so take your time and make sure to include everything.
This process can be emotionally taxing. Our experienced legal team is trained to help our clients navigate it all.
The Elite California Wildfire Lawyers Leading the Eaton Fire Lawsuit
Our California fire attorneys have extensive experience representing California fire survivors in lawsuits against utilities for recklessly causing destruction. To date, we have represented over 6,300 survivors of utility-caused fires and explosions in California. On behalf of these clients, we have secured over $1.5B in compensation.
Corey Gibbs Fire LawyerAmanda Riddle was appointed as liaison counsel on behalf of individual plaintiffs in the Eaton Fire litigation. As liaison counsel, Amanda serves as one of the primary spokespersons for individual fire survivors and coordinates between all parties involved in the case.
Additionally, Amanda Riddle was an integral member of the team that negotiated the $13.5 billion settlement with PG&E during the company’s bankruptcy following the 2015 Butte Fire, 2017 North Bay Fires, and the 2018 Camp Fire, which collectively killed over 100 people and destroyed over 30,000 structures in Northern California.
Eaton Fire Attorneys
Amanda Riddle
Amanda has been appointed by a judge to a nine member oversight committee for a trust that manages the distribution of $13.5 billion to wildfire survivors.
Steve litigates a wide range of complex cases, from environmental mass torts to consumer class actions. He has secured over $1 billion for his clients.
Sumble Manzoor
Sumble has spent much of her career representing survivors of utility caused disasters. In addition to representing the 2015 Butte Fire, the 2017 North Bay Fires and the 2018 Camp Fire survivors, Sumble also represents plaintiffs harmed by utility caused explosions. She prides herself on working to ensure that utilities are held accountable for their failures.
Susan Spiker
Susan represents survivors of utility-caused wildfires, overseeing our team of attorneys and staff who work with our clients to build their claims against SCE.
Emma represents plaintiffs harmed by corporate wrongdoing and survivors of sexual assault.
Daniel Martinez
Daniel has represented hundreds of wildfire survivors affected by the 2017 North Bay Fires and 2018 Camp Fire. He has helped homeowners, renters, and business owners, and has helped them secure millions from utilities companies.
Aileen Nguyen
Aileen has represented hundreds of wildfire survivors affected by the 2017 North Bay Fires and the 2018 Camp Fire, helping homeowners, renters, and businesses pursue their claims.
Alex Smock is a litigation associate with Corey, Luzaich, de Ghetaldi, & Riddle LLP. Ms. Smock is an avid advocate for wildfire survivors and is on the San Mateo County Barristers' Board of Directors. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Smock worked primarily in mass tort civil litigation. Her developing practice includes wildfire litigation and explosion cases.
Emily Cardona
Emily Cardona is a Legal Assistant with extensive experience working with the fire survivors of the 2015 Butte Fire, 2017 North Bay Fire, 2018 Camp Fire. She graduated in the top of her class with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Education from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
