The Eaton Fire class action.

What happened

A red-flag windstorm was forecast days in advance. Around 6:15 p.m. on January 7, witnesses in Eaton Canyon saw flashes and flames at the base of a steel transmission tower carrying Southern California Edison lines, a tower on a circuit SCE has said had been idle since 1971. Within hours the fire had run downhill into Altadena's residential streets. It burned for twenty-four days.

The utility did not de-energize the high-voltage lines in the canyon that night. Investigators, insurers, Los Angeles County and thousands of residents have alleged that SCE's equipment started the fire and that the company's decisions before and during the windstorm made the outcome worse.

Where the case stands

Eaton Fire lawsuits against SCE are coordinated before a single judge in Los Angeles Superior Court, Judge Laura Seigle. In August 2026 the court signaled that it would not hold SCE strictly liable as a matter of law and that the question of the company's responsibility will go to a jury. Trial proceedings are expected to begin in 2026, with CAL FIRE's cause determination and the state Public Utilities Commission's investigation still pending.

SCE has also opened its own Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program, offering direct payments to some victims in exchange for a release. That program is voluntary, it is run by the defendant, and accepting it ends your right to sue. Talk to a lawyer before you sign anything from the utility.

Who we represent

• Homeowners whose houses were destroyed or damaged, including those who were underinsured.
• Renters who lost their homes and belongings and had no policy to fall back on.
• Small businesses in Altadena and Pasadena that lost their premises, inventory, customers or income.
• Families who evacuated, lived in hotels or with relatives, and are still not home.
• Anyone who suffered smoke or ash exposure, injury, or the loss of a family member.

What a claim can recover

Depending on your situation, damages in a wildfire case can include the value of a destroyed or damaged home and its contents, the cost to rebuild, loss of use and additional living expenses, lost business income and goodwill, the loss of trees and landscape, medical expenses, emotional distress, and, where the conduct was reckless, punitive damages against the utility.

If you already have insurance

Your insurer pays you and then pursues SCE itself. That does not stop you from pursuing the utility for what the policy did not cover, which for most Altadena families is a great deal.

Facts on this page come from public reporting, court filings and agency statements as of September 2026. We update it as the case moves. Nothing here is a promise about what any individual claim is worth.