10,000+ L.A. Fire Survivors File for Legal Standing in State Farm Enforcement Case, Demanding Accountability for Nearly 400 Documented Violations
Every Fire Survivor’s Network files to join the California Department of Insurance's enforcement action against State Farm as a full legal party, aiming to bring 400+ survivor accounts, the right to block inadequate settlements, and demands for remedies that match the scale of harm
LOS ANGELES — Every Fire Survivor’s Network (EFSN), a community of more than 10,000 Eaton and Palisades fire survivors, has filed a Petition to Intervene in the California Department of Insurance's (CDI) enforcement action against State Farm General Insurance Company. Represented by Singleton Schreiber LLP and Consumer Watchdog, EFSN is seeking full legal party status in the CDI's Order to Show Cause proceeding against State Farm.
If granted, the intervention would give fire survivors a direct legal voice in a state insurance enforcement proceeding for the first time, with the ability to shape not just the outcome for State Farm policyholders, but the penalty and remedial standards that regulators apply to insurers industry wide. As a full party, EFSN would have the right to introduce evidence, depose witnesses, challenge proposed settlements, and participate in any resolution of the case.
“None of us wanted this fight,” said Joy Chen, executive director, Every Fire Survivor’s Network. “We paid our premiums faithfully for years, some of us for decades. When we lost our homes, we expected protection. Instead, we got delays, denials, and a system that was not working for us. Now we want a seat at the table, and we are not leaving until every family gets what they are owed.”
The CDI's Market Conduct Examination found 398 violations across 52% of a random sample of just 220 State Farm fire claims, an average of 3.49 violations per claim. State Farm acknowledged the underlying facts in most cases but argued the violations were administrative errors rather than a general pattern of misconduct. Seventeen months
after the January 2025 fires, State Farm still owes L.A. survivors an estimated $3.5 billion. A penalty calculated from the documented violations at the statutory minimum would produce approximately $1.99 million, less than a single day of investment earnings for a company with $270 billion in assets.
The violations include systematic failures to begin investigations within required timelines, repeated adjuster reassignments that forced survivors to restart the claims process, misrepresentation of policy terms, and—in 29 documented instances—sending policyholders an incorrect one-year filing deadline instead of the legally required 24-month period. EFSN's 1600+ survivor accounts corroborate every major violation category: families were assigned to as many as eight adjusters over the course of their claims, received remediation offers as low as $11,000 for properties requiring $83,000 in work, and were pressured back into homes that tested positive for lead, arsenic, and chromium.
“The CDI found the violations, and State Farm admitted the underlying facts,” said Michelle Meyers, partner, Singleton Schreiber LLP. “What has been missing from this proceeding is the voice of the people who actually experienced the harm. EFSN's intervention changes that. We will introduce expert statistical evidence showing the 220-claim sample likely understates the total violation count by an order of magnitude, and we will press for a penalty structure that reflects the harm State Farm actually caused and at the scale it actually did it, not a $2 million fine against a $270 billion company.”
Consumer Watchdog, co-counsel for EFSN, has intervened in California insurance enforcement and rate proceedings for decades. Most recently, its intervention in State Farm's California rate cases resulted in a settlement that saved policyholders approximately $530 million compared to State Farm's original requests. The organization also previously sought to block an inadequate settlement in the Mercury Insurance enforcement proceeding, cases that together underscore why independent representation in settlement discussions matters when insurers and regulators are negotiating outcomes that directly affect policyholders.
Through the petition, EFSN is seeking full party intervenor status with discovery rights and participation in any settlement. Among the specific remedies requested: a systematic review of all closed Eaton and Palisades State Farm claims with re-adjustment where violations are found; reclassification of hygienist and environmental testing costs wrongly charged against policyholders' home-rebuilding coverage; corrective statute-of-limitations notices to all affected policyholders; and a penalty calibrated to the full scope of violations and to State Farm's actual financial scale. CDI has 15 days to respond to the petition.
About Every Fire Survivor’s Network
Every Fire Survivor’s Network (EFSN) is a community of more than 10,000 Eaton and Palisades fire survivors, built by, for, and led by the people who lived through the January 2025 fires. EFSN organizes survivors, documents insurance misconduct, and advocates for accountability at the state, local, and federal levels. Learn more at efsurvivors.net.
About Singleton Schreiber
Singleton Schreiber is a client-centered law firm, focusing on mass torts/multi-district litigation, fire litigation, personal injury/wrongful death, civil rights, environmental law, insurance bad faith, tribal law, and sex abuse/trafficking. Home to the nation’s largest fire litigation practice, the firm has represented over 30,000 wildfire and explosion victims caused by utilities, government negligence, railroads, and corporate misconduct. Singleton Schreiber’s insurance bad faith practice seeks justice for insureds wronged by their insurance company. They are also pursuing groundbreaking litigation against Tesla for misrepresenting their autopilot system, which recently resulted in a historic verdict. With deep experience in complex claims, the firm is committed to helping individuals, families, and communities recover and rebuild.
About Consumer Watchdog
Consumer Watchdog is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that fights for taxpayers and consumers in California and across the country. Since 1985, Consumer Watchdog has saved Californians billions of dollars and forced disclosure of corporate and government misconduct. Learn more at consumerwatchdog.org.
