Daily News: Smoke-Damaged Homes Could Reshape Fire Insurance in California

The Los Angeles Daily News reported that disputes over smoke-damaged homes after the Eaton and Palisades fires could reshape fire insurance in California and beyond. More than 13,000 smoke-damage claims have been filed, and hundreds of homeowners have filed complaints alleging insurers are delaying, minimizing danger, and pressuring families back into potentially contaminated homes. The article compares the current fight over smoke contamination to the early-2000s mold crisis, but notes that smoke damage may be harder for insurers to exclude because California law requires fire policies to cover loss by fire, and courts have recognized that smoke damage can exist at a microscopic level even without visible soot or odor.

The article highlights lawsuits against Chubb, State Farm, and other insurers, including claims that insurers failed to conduct adequate testing or used narrow testing to discredit independent findings of lead, lithium, chromium, cyanide, asbestos, and other hazardous contaminants. It also cites research from Rutgers and Caltech, EFRU's community testing data. The core issue remains the lack of uniform standards for testing, remediation, and clearance. AB 1642 and AB 1795 are both moving through the CA Legislature, while EFRU and other policyholder advocates continue to push for clear, health-protective standards that do not leave survivors dependent on insurer-controlled inspections. Read LA Daily News article.