You can hold PG&E fully responsible for any costs your homeowners insurance won’t cover after a wildfire. PG&E must add to the support you receive in case you don’t earn enough in coverage to rebuild your home.
Maison Law represents homeowners who have lost their homes and property to wildfires caused by negligent California utility companies like PG&E. Our personal injury lawyers go to work immediately to hold power companies responsible for anything that homeowners insurance providers refuse to cover. Please contact us to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with a real California lawyer and find out how to hold PG&E fully accountable for your hardships.
Do I Need a Lawyer to Hold PG&E Responsible for My Property Damage?
Wildfire victims can be going through the worst period of their lives and will likely feel very vulnerable. Unfortunately, insurance adjusters working for PG&E can take advantage of that vulnerability. They will attempt to provide settlement checks that leave victims paying for a big portion of their own recoveries.
PG&E is also a giant corporation. Even after all of their financial turmoil, they can still afford the best corporate lawyers money can buy. These lawyers will be looking for ways to devalue your case and question your claims. It’s important to have your own skilled lawyer protecting your case and fighting back against their tactics to rob you of support.
Your Maison Law Wildfire Accident Lawyer isn’t afraid to stand up to corporations to make sure clients get everything they need to rebuild their lives. This aggressive protection is especially helpful when your own insurance company leaves you short on the money you’ll need to rebuild your house or replace your valuables and keepsakes. But PG&E is liable for 100% of the things that your policy won’t cover, and in some cases, much more.
Why Is PG&E Liable for the Damages Wildfires Caused?
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has been blamed for causing over 30 wildfires in California since 2017. Investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (CAL FIRE) point to the utility company’s failure to maintain and upgrade its power grid across the state.
In several cases, weakened powerlines were brought down by high winds, sparking on dry ground. In other cases, the removal of trees that threatened power lines was delayed and as a result, trees fell and fires were sparked. It was this negligence that led to dozens of massive and destructive fires.
People were injured and lives were claimed. Victims also lost their homes, businesses, and all of their possessions. Families may have lost their houses, garages, and sheds. Even their beds, their furniture, and every personal item could have been destroyed by a fast-moving fire.
The Fire Victim Trust was funded by PG&E to provide support to the victims of the 2015 Butte Fires, the 2017 North Bay Fires, and the 2018 Camp Fires.
The victims of other fires, like 2021’s Dixie Fire, have been filing individual lawsuits against the power company to seek help in rebuilding their homes., businesses, and paying hospital bills.
It’s important for victims who lost their property to have a California Wildfire & Utilities Claim Lawyer on their side throughout the claims process and for help during potential lawsuits. Your lawyer will be handling the paperwork and frustrating interactions with unhelpful insurance adjusters. This leaves you free to focus on healing and rebuilding your life.
Why Won’t My Homeowners Insurance Policy Provide Everything I Need?
If your homeowners insurance won’t reimburse you for all of the damage a California wildfire does to your home and property, those leftover costs should be the responsibility of PG&E. That includes the gap created when your policy doesn’t offer enough compensation to rebuild your home back to the way it was.
Homeowners insurance doesn’t always account for the value of your home going up, or the cost of construction and permits rising. In some cases, insurers use the value of your house at the time you took out the policy to determine the level of compensation you receive.
Your insurance provider may even dispute the value of your valuables and keepsakes and decide to offer you less.
Documents You’ll Need to Hold PG&E Liable for Wildfire Damage
After homeowners are informed of the level of support their insurance companies will provide, they should be prepared to file a lawsuit against PG&E to collect funds to pay anything insurers refuse to cover.
Your personal injury lawyer helps you collect the documents and photographic evidence you’ll need to hold PG&E and their insurance providers fully accountable for your continuing hardships.
These are a few of the pieces of evidence that will strengthen your case:
- All documents displaying the support you receive from homeowners insurance.
- Deeds to houses, cars, and other property.
- Photos and video of your house, furniture, and valuables if you were able to get footage before the fire.
- Photos and video of the damage after a fire passed through.
- Receipts for your expenses during an evacuation.
- Receipts for your living expenses while you had no home to return to.
- Your paystubs demonstrating the time you’ve had to miss at work.
- Documented smoke, ash, and water damage done to your property.
- Photos showing landscaping losses.
Some documents may have been lost in the blaze. Your lawyer will help you track down important documents by requesting copies from lenders and government agencies.
Contact a California Wildfires Lawyer
A wildfire can claim your house and your treasured possessions in an instant. If a California utility company had a hand in sending your property up in smoke, it’s critical to hold those companies fully responsible for anything homeowners insurance doesn’t cover. Speak to a California wildfire lawyer to discover what you should be demanding from PG&E and how to make sure you and your family can rebuild your lives.
Contact Maison Law for a free consultation no matter where you live in California. Our case reviews are confidential and come with no obligation. If you decide we can help you earn more for your damages after a wildfire, you won’t need to have any upfront money to hire us. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement money you are awarded.
