When wildfires destroy homes, businesses, and entire communities, the people harmed need lawyers who understand how to take on well-resourced corporate defendants in complex, high-stakes litigation. Doyle APC has decades of experience prosecuting class actions and mass tort proceedings, and our attorneys have served as lead or co-lead counsel in national litigation that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of injured individuals and consumers.
California wildfire cases are among the most complex mass torts in the country. They typically involve thousands of plaintiffs, multiple corporate defendants, intricate causation and origin investigations, layered insurance issues, and damages ranging from destroyed homes and businesses to lost personal property, evacuation costs, smoke and ash damage, personal injuries, and the loss of irreplaceable belongings. Successfully advancing these cases requires the resources and experience to manage massive discovery, coordinate with co-counsel and litigation committees, and see the litigation through to resolution.
Palisades Fire Litigation
Doyle APC represents residents, homeowners, renters, and business owners affected by the devastating January 2025 Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive urban wildfires in Los Angeles history. The fire tore through the Pacific Palisades and surrounding Southern California communities, destroying thousands of homes and structures, displacing entire neighborhoods, and causing widespread loss of personal property, livelihoods, and cherished community landmarks.
Doyle APC initially filed a class action in Los Angeles Superior Court against the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to address a critical procedural problem facing fire victims. Under California’s Government Claims Act, individuals generally must file a written claim with a public entity before they can sue for money damages, within six months for certain claims and within twelve months for others, depending on the nature of the claim. Many Palisades Fire victims were still displaced, working with insurance adjusters, grieving their losses, or simply unaware of these short deadlines. The class action was filed to seek declaratory and injunctive relief preserving the legal rights of affected fire victims who had not yet filed individual claims, by asking the court to treat the class filing as substantial compliance with the Government Claims Act’s written claim requirement.
Since that initial filing, the case has greatly expanded to include the State of California and numerous other entities alleged to have contributed to the cause, spread, or severity of the fire. Doyle APC is working alongside co-counsel to investigate the fire, hold the responsible parties accountable, and pursue the full measure of recovery available under California law for the families and businesses whose lives were upended. We understand that for many, the losses go far beyond what any settlement can replace, and we are advancing these cases with the care, urgency, and resources they demand.
2007 San Diego Wildfire Litigation
Doyle APC attorneys previously represented hundreds of litigants whose homes and businesses were destroyed during the October 2007 San Diego fires. Those fires destroyed thousands of homes and forced half a million San Diego residents to flee in the largest mass evacuation in California history. The 2007 Wildfire litigation was a highly complex mass tort action involving thousands of parties, requiring sophisticated case management to address the factual, procedural, and resource challenges of advancing the litigation.
Doyle APC attorneys served on several litigation committees and took a leading role, working cooperatively with co-counsel, to advance the cases. The firm recovered millions of dollars on behalf of the devastated homeowners it represented, and total settlements in the litigation exceeded $1 billion.
Contact Doyle APC
If you or your family has been affected by the Palisades Fire or another California wildfire, contact Doyle APC for a free, confidential consultation.
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