Altadena Wildfire Rebuild: Here Come the Lawyers

Legions of lawyers have swapped polished shoes for rubber boots as they march into fire-ravaged Altadena, hoping to make a killing.

Erin Brockovich and Benjamin Crump and other paralegals and attorneys have descended on the charred ruins of Altadena as the aftermath of the deadly Eaton fire heads to the courthouse, with Southern California Edison in the crosshairs, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Lawyers and their assistants, marketers and victim advocates have flooded churches, community centers and hotel conference rooms as well as private Zoom calls and public food giveaways, asking to be hired.

They’ve stuffed mailboxes with printed fliers inviting Altadenans to town halls and free consultations. “Let us fight for you,” some say. One firm from Oakland promised a complimentary dinner at the Pasadena Hilton.

But nowhere is the stampede more apparent than on social media.

“We are here to help,” one firm’s Instagram ad said.

“You may be entitled to compensation,” said another ad from an L.A. ambulance chaser.

“Start your 30-second eligibility quiz,” said a Florida-based marketing agency, Legal Claim Assistant, which doesn’t even list an attorney associated with it.

Jennifer Gray Thompson, CEO of After the Fire USA, a nonprofit that has worked in Lahaina, Paradise and other communities ravaged by wildfire, pointed out the potential exploitation.

“The ick is real, and it feels very predatory,” she told the Times. “It feels like it’s a feeding frenzy off of people’s trauma and suffering.”

Billions of dollars could be on the line for those who lost homes, businesses or loved ones in the flames.

Pacific Gas & Electric paid a settlement of cash and stock valued at $13.5 billion to victims of the 2018 camp fire and other blazes. As part of negotiations for the landmark PG&E payout, the state set up a fund in 2019 for future victims of fires caused by utilities, which now holds about $13 billion but can pay out up to $21 billion, according to the Times.

Whether SoCal Edison sparked the Jan. 7 blaze remains to be confirmed by investigators. The county of L.A. and scores of Altadena residents have already sued the utility, accusing it of causing the inferno. Company records uncovered by The Times show that Edison knew some of its towers near the fire’s epicenter were fire hazards.

Lawyers, who typically take no upfront cash, often require a one-third cut. The payout of a future settlement could be enormous.

The Eaton fire around Altadena destroyed more than 9,400 structures and claimed 17 lives. Its victims will battle the region’s richest utilities, armed with an army of attorneys and savvy political operators.

“There’s a bunch of people who think this is a gold rush and are trying to sign up everyone and their brother,” said John Manly, an Orange County lawyer known for representing sex abuse victims against USC, UCLA and the Catholic Church. “There are good firms advertising, and that’s OK.

“But when someone comes from Rhode Island and says, ‘I’ll do your wildfire case in California,’ be suspect.”

— Dana Bartholomew