Beat the Clock
Know Your Rights. Know Your Deadlines. Help a Survivor Know Theirs.
Seven free legal education sessions for Eaton and Palisades fire survivors
Get answers before time runs out.
Thursdays
Oct. 1 to Nov. 12
7-8 PM PT
Live on Zoom
Statute of Limitations May Run as Early as January 7, 2027 ⏰
Statute of Limitations May Run as Early as January 7, 2027 ⏰
Do You Have a Case?
And How Much Time Do You Have to Sue?
Many of us are still fighting for insurance money or wondering whether we’ve received everything we’re owed.
For some survivors, the statute of limitations for legal action against their insurer may run as early as January 7, 2027. Your deadline depends on your claim and circumstances.
Beat the Clock brings experienced lawyers and other experts together to help you understand your rights, deadlines and options.
Every session includes live survivor Q&A and a short action guide. No 30 pages of legalese. Just information you can use.
Attend one or all seven.
Help Another Survivor Beat the Clock
Know someone still fighting for insurance money? Dealing with smoke damage? Underinsured or on the FAIR Plan?
They may not know their rights or that a deadline is approaching. Your invitation could help them get answers in time.
Send them this page. Share it with your neighborhood group. Invite them to join you.
efsurvivors.net/beat-the-clock
Our toolkit makes sharing easy, with images and messages for texts, newsletters and social media.
Know your rights. Know your deadlines. Help a survivor know theirs.
Oct. 1 | The Clock Is Ticking: Your Claims and Their Deadlines
How much time do I have, and what do I need to understand before that time runs out?
This first session gave survivors a map of the deadlines that may affect our recovery.
Our presenters explained the 24-month limitation period that may apply to certain claims against an insurer, how tolling may affect that calculation, and why January 7, 2027 may or may not be your deadline.
They also looked at other clocks that may affect your recovery, including additional living expenses, replacement-cost benefits, contents payments, bad-faith claims, potential claims involving agents or brokers, and nonrenewal protections.
And we got practical: What does an attorney look for when evaluating a case? How do contingency fees work? How far ahead of a deadline should you talk to an attorney?
Watch the recording, download the slides, and use our free, fillable Deadlines Checklist to keep track of the deadlines that may apply to you.
Presenters:
Shant Karnikian, Kabateck LLP
James Lee, Raizner Lee Law
Oct. 8 | Taxes: Could Your Fire Losses Lower Your 2024 or 2025 Taxes, Even If You Already Filed?
You may have a tax break hiding in a return you already filed.
Many survivors were surprised to learn that qualifying 2025 disaster losses can be claimed on either their 2024 or 2025 federal income tax return, even if you already filed.
Which year could save you more? What if your insurance claim is still unresolved?
These rules are highly specialized, and many CPAs rarely encounter them. Two of California’s leading disaster tax experts explain how to evaluate your options, document your losses, potentially defer a taxable gain and prepare for an IRS audit.
Watch the recording and download the slides and handout. Share them with your CPA! The handout includes contact details for both presenters and the appraiser mentioned during the session.
Presenters:
Blake Christian, HCVT
John Trapani
Oct. 15 | Bad Faith: When Your Insurer Delays, Lowballs or Denies
Is this simply a frustrating insurance claim, or might I have grounds for legal action?
Months pass. Adjusters change. Documents disappear into a black hole. Estimates bear little resemblance to what rebuilding actually costs.
When is that simply an awful claims experience, and when might it have legal significance?
Policyholder attorneys will explain the insurer’s duty of good faith and fair dealing and examine delays, low estimates, changing adjusters, ignored evidence, denials, and potential violations of California claims-handling rules.
We’ll also discuss what you can do now to build a record of what has happened, including written communications, documentation, and a claim diary.
Presenters:
Michelle Meyers, Singleton Schreiber
Dylan Schaffer, Kerley Schaffer
Kevin Pollack, Abir Cohen Treyzon Salo
Oct. 22 | Underinsurance: What Are You Still Owed, and Who May Be Responsible?
Your insurance coverage isn’t enough to rebuild. Can you get more money from your policy, or could you have a claim against the insurer, agent, or broker who helped set your coverage?
First, we’ll look for every dollar that may still be available under your policy, including extended replacement cost, building-code upgrades, debris removal, other structures, rebuilding elsewhere, and other benefits.
Then we’ll investigate why your coverage fell short. How were your limits set? Were replacement-cost estimates accurate? Were inflation protections included? What role did your insurer, agent, or broker play?
Policyholder attorneys will explain potential claims involving insurers, agents, and brokers, including flawed replacement-cost estimates and the special duties agents may have in certain circumstances.
You’ll also learn which records to find now, including old policy declarations, replacement-cost worksheets, and communications with your agent, so you can better understand what you may still be owed and whether you may have a potential claim for being underinsured.
Presenters:
California Insurance Commissioner Emeritus Dave Jones
Renee Callantine, Corner Law
Michael Bidart, Shernoff Bidart Echeverria
Oct. 29 | Smoke Damage: Make Your Home Safe to Return To
Your insurer says your home is safe or doesn’t have covered smoke damage. How do you know whether that’s right?
Policyholder attorneys will explain the legal issues surrounding smoke claims, including the FAIR Plan smoke-damage litigation and the standards insurers may use to determine whether physical damage has occurred.
Together, they will help survivors understand what evidence may strengthen a smoke claim, how to evaluate testing commissioned by an insurer and when independent testing may matter.
The session will also cover potential paths after a denial or underpayment, including appraisal, a Department of Insurance complaint and litigation.
The goal: understand what your insurer may owe and what you can do to get your family safely home.
Presenters:
Michelle Meyers, Singleton Schreiber
Ali Moghaddas, Edelson
Kevin Pollak, Abir Cohen Treyzon Salo
Nov. 5 | Dumped onto the FAIR Plan: Your Coverage Gaps, Rights & Potential Claims
If I was pushed onto the FAIR Plan before the fire and now have a coverage gap, who may be responsible?
Some survivors entered January 7 already vulnerable.
Their previous insurer had nonrenewed them. They ended up on the FAIR Plan. Only after losing their home did they discover what their new coverage did and did not include.
We’ll explain nonrenewals, notice rules, moratoriums, FAIR Plan coverage, Difference in Conditions coverage, and current renewal protections.
Then we’ll examine responsibility.
Was the nonrenewal proper? Were you adequately informed about the coverage you were losing? Should an agent or broker have obtained or advised you about additional coverage?
Presenters:
Renee Callantine, Corner Law
Dylan Schaffer, Kerley Schaffer
Nov. 12 | Ask the Lawyers: What Do I Need to Do Now?
After everything I’ve learned, what do I need to do about my claim?
This session belongs to survivors.
We’ll start with a short recap of the major deadlines. Then we open the floor.
Do I potentially have a case? How do I know whether it’s worth pursuing? When should I talk to a lawyer? How do I find the right one? What should I bring to an initial consultation? How do contingency fees work? Can I file a lawsuit and keep negotiating? What if I’m not ready to sue?
Bring the questions you still need answered.
Presenters:
James Lee, Raizner Lee Law
Michael Bidart, Shernoff Bidart Echeverria
Come with questions. Leave knowing what to do next.
Know someone who needs these answers? Invite them to join you.
Beat the Clock is created by Every Fire Survivor’s Network (EFSN), a survivor-led nonprofit serving 10,000+ Eaton and Palisades fire survivors and allies. The series is led by fire survivors Larry Midler, EFSN Advisory Board Chair and former General Counsel of CBRE, and Joy Chen, EFSN Executive Director and former Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles.
The lawyers and other professionals are here to educate survivors, not solicit clients. EFSN does not recommend or endorse participating attorneys or firms. Sessions provide general education, not individual legal or tax advice, and do not create an attorney-client relationship.
Free for Eaton and Palisades fire survivors. Choose one session or all seven.
Thursdays | 7-8 PM Pacific | Live on Zoom
Already registered? Help a survivor know their rights and deadlines, too.