Los Angeles Fire Damage Lawyer

You faithfully pay your insurance premiums just in case you need to make a claim one day. Unfortunately, insurance claims do not always go as smoothly as they should. When you buy insurance, you expect your insurance company to hold up their end of the deal when you suffer damages to covered property, but sometimes insurance companies fail to pay, delay payment, or offer too little money.

When an insurance company denies your insurance claim and you believe they have done so in bad faith, an experienced personal injury attorney and property damage lawyer can help. We will review your fire insurance policy, investigate the claim, and work on your behalf to force your insurance company to reimburse you for your true costs.

Know Your Legal Rights
While California offers more protections for policyholders than any other state, many people in California are unaware of their legal rights. In fact, even insurance adjusters are often uninformed of the laws to which they must abide. When you are facing fire damage to your home, you have many forms of legal protection that dictate how your insurance company may behave. These protections include:

• Deadlines for the insurer to deny or pay your claim
• Deadlines to submit paperwork to prove a covered loss
• Deadlines to respond to letters, emails, and phone calls
• Specific information that must be provided to the policyholder
• The insurer must be transparent, truthful, and honest in communications with the insured
• Lowball offers by the insurer are prohibited
• An independent and reasonable investigation must be conducted
• All evidence must be taken into account when making an offer on a claim
• Copies of claim-related documents must be provided to the policyholder upon request. This includes documents used to calculate losses.
• A policyholder cannot be required to use a specific contractor for repairs
• A policyholder cannot be required to provide unreasonable proof of the losses

If you feel that any of these rights have been violated, your insurance company can be held responsible. A fire damage attorney will work on your behalf to seek full reimbursement for your claim.

Denied Fire Insurance Claims
Many fire damage claims are denied the first time they are submitted to the insurance company. This may be caused by mistakes you made on your paperwork or it may be a bigger problem like your insurer attempting to dodge responsibility.

A skilled fire damage lawyer can help you streamline the process and avoid mistakes that get in the way of rebuilding or restoring your home. After determining why your claim was denied, we will file an appeal on your behalf. This avoids the need to submit a new claim. For a successful appeal, we will build evidence to prove your claim and why the insurance company is responsible for the damages.

This evidence can come in many forms, including photos of the damage, witness statements, expert testimony, and findings from your local fire investigators. Because you may also have physical injuries from the fire, a personal injury attorney may also gather medical documentation and medical experts to verify the extent of your injuries.

California Wildfires: Learn About Your Rights When Insurance Presents Challenges

More than 180,000 residents of Los Angeles County have been forced from their homes, and thousands of structures have been lost as devastating wildfires swept across the landscape. Attempts to contain the fire have been battling powerful winds and dry conditions and the communities remain uncertain.

The Palisades Fire alone has burned over 5,000 structures and is 8% contained, as 153,000 people remain under evacuation orders. The Eaton Fire has forced entire neighborhoods to ash in Altadena, which has damaged or destroyed 7,000 structures and remains largely uncontained.

What We Know So Far

Tens of thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate, and at least 10 people have died as wildfires continue to devastate Los Angeles County. Officials warn the death toll could rise. The scale of destruction is immense, and President Biden has pledged full federal support for disaster response efforts.

Palisades Fire

One of the most devastating fires in Los Angeles history. The blaze has burned more than 20,000 acres, destroyed more than 5,300 structures, and killed two people. Containment remains at 8%.

Eaton Fire

At least five people have died in this fire near Pasadena, which has burned through 13,956 acres. Containment stood at just 3%, while more than 7,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed.

Kenneth Fire

This fire, which erupted Thursday and quickly burned 1,000 acres, is in the Calabasas and Hidden Hills areas. It is 35% contained. A person was detained on suspicion of arson but released because of lack of evidence.

Lidia Fire

This fire burned 394 acres in Antelope Valley before being 75% contained. Hot spots are being monitored by firefighters to prevent flare-ups.

Hurst Fire

The Hurst fire has burned 771 acres and is 37% contained near San Fernando. Containment lines are being reinforced around the clock by crews.

Archer Fire

The fire began Friday morning in Granada Hills and has so far burned 19 acres. Firefighting efforts have been made particularly difficult by erratic winds.

Sunset Fire

The Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills has been fully contained as of Thursday evening, as well. That said, officials are still concerned about more critical fire conditions through the weekend.

At times like these, insurance policy plays the role of a lifeline. But policyholders often see delays, lowball settlements, or flat-out denials. Pacific Attorney Group is here to represent your rights and get you the help you need when your insurance company is not fulfilling its obligations.

If you have suffered fire damage to your home or business, a property damage lawyer can help you every step of the way to seek full payment for your claim. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with a personal injury and property damage attorney to review your claim.