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Edison pledges payouts for Eaton Fire survivors as lawsuits loom
Firefighters extinguish hot spots at a home destroyed by the Eaton fire in Altadena.
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Allen J. Schaben
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Southern California Edison announced Wednesday that it will launch a compensation program for residents and businesses affected by the Eaton Fire.
The utility is still finalizing the details, but the program will allow survivors to submit claims for “total and partial structure loss, commercial property loss, business interruption, smoke and ash, physical injury and fatalities.”
The fire in January killed 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in Altadena.
Eligible residents and businesses will then receive their claims via “expedited, direct payments,” according to the utility. Renters, homeowners and those with or without insurance will be eligible to submit a claim.
Survivors can submit a claim even if they're involved in ongoing lawsuits against the utility, said SoCal Edison spokesperson David Eisenhauer. The details of the program are expected to be released later this summer and launch in the fall.
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“Community members shouldn’t have to wait for the final conclusions in the Eaton Fire investigation to get the financial support they need to begin rebuilding,” said Pedro J. Pizarro, president and chief executive of Edison International, SoCal Edison’s parent company, in a news release announcing the program. “This allows the community to focus more on recovery instead of lengthy, expensive litigation.”
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Amanda Riddle, an attorney with the lead Eaton Fire case against Southern California Edison, said survivors should carefully consider the details once they're released.
“We look forward to reviewing Edison’s proposed program to see whether it truly seeks to provide full compensation to each and every survivor or whether it is a mere illusion,” Riddle told LAist in an email.
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The utility, whose equipment is believed to have sparked the Eaton Fire, says payouts could come four months after people submit a claim. Accepting the money would mean foregoing a lawsuit. -
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Meanwhile, she said, attorneys for Southern California Edison have yet to agree to a trial date for the existing lawsuits about the fire.
“Mr. Pizarro is correct: Survivors of the Eaton Fire should not have to wait to be compensated,” Riddle said. “This is what we have been saying in court while attorneys for Edison have been saying the opposite and pushing for delay.”
Pacific Gas and Electric launched a similar program after the 2021 Dixie Fire was sparked by a tree branch falling on its equipment.
Keep track of SCE’s program here.
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