Overview
In the aftermath of the January 2025 wildfires that devastated communities across the Los Angeles area, including the Palisades and Eaton Fires, Glaser Weil is helping homeowners, businesses, developers, landlords and other property owners pursue the insurance benefits they need to repair, rebuild and move forward.
In collaboration with nationally recognized policyholder advocates James Lee, Jeffrey Raizner and the Raizner Lee team, we represent policyholders in complex coverage and bad-faith disputes arising from wildfire losses. From the initial assessment and documentation of a claim through resolution, our integrated team helps clients evaluate coverage, quantify losses and challenge delays, denials and underpayments. When disputes cannot be resolved efficiently, we are prepared to pursue recovery through mediation, arbitration or litigation.
Please reach out to gwfireintake@glaserweil.com if we may be of assistance.
OUR SERVICES
We advise and represent policyholders in matters involving:
- Residential, commercial and mixed-use property losses
- Policy analysis, coverage strategy and claim evaluation
- Claim preparation, documentation and valuation
- Delayed, denied and underpaid claims, including bad-faith insurance disputes
- Business interruption and lost income and extra expense claims
- Additional living expense (ALE) claims
- Construction, rebuilding, real estate, land use and development issues arising from wildfire damage
- Negotiation, medication, arbitration and litigation
OUR DIFFERENCE
Wildfire claims often involve more than a single coverage question. They can present interconnected insurance, valuation, business interruption, real estate, construction and litigation issues. Our multidisciplinary team is structured to address those challenges in a coordinated manner, giving clients practical guidance and a clear path from claim preparation through recovery.
Together, Glaser Weil and Raizner Lee combine deep Southern California roots and local market knowledge with extensive experience representing policyholders in catastrophic loss claims. We bring the resources, coverage insight and trial capability needed to take on well-resourced insurers while remaining focused on each client’s immediate recovery and long-term objectives.
Our team includes:
- Andrew Baum
- James Sargent
- Andrew C. Dane
- Grant M. Cofer
- Marinna Chang Radloff
- Rob C. Arbulu
- Thomas Hanley III
- James Lee*
- Jeffrey L. Raizner*
- Josh Raizner*
- Barbara Safechuck*
*Admitted to practice in California but not members or employees of Glaser Weil.
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Our Team
Partner
Partner
Partner
Associate
Associate
Of Counsel
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Results
Representative policyholder insurance recovery matters include:
- Representing Austin and Virginia Beutner in a high-profile insurance coverage and bad-faith action arising from the January 2025 Palisades Fire. The lawsuit seeks recovery for extensive smoke and toxic contamination damage to the family’s Pacific Palisades home and challenges the insurer’s reliance on inadequate testing and remediation protocols that failed to address hazardous wildfire-related contaminants. (See coverage in the New York Times.)
- Increased insurance recoveries for Texas school districts following Hurricane Hanna from $3.7 million to over $80 million.
- Secured awards of $105 million against a single insurer on behalf of condominium associations in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria, improving insurer payouts from about $450,000 to nearly $3.4 million per case.
- Settlement of approximately $7 million for a home that sustained fire and smoke contamination.
