Torts/Personal Injury,
LA Fires
Jul. 21, 2026
The wildfire docket wave: lessons the plaintiffs' bar keeps relearning
The lessons from California's mass fire litigation show that early evidence preservation, careful evaluation of compensation programs and attention to the real-world losses behind each claim can determine whether survivors receive full value.
The Eaton Fire felt like a novel event: an urban conflagration, 19 deaths, a national audience. But the ignition theory now at the center of that litigation, a transmission line Edison left idle since 1971 that may have re-energized through induction during the windstorm, is a variation on mechanisms this state has litigated for two decades, from the 2007 Witch Fire to Butte, Thomas, Woolsey and Camp. Notice what is missing from that list: a verdict. These cases settle, the fires recur, an...
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