San Diego Fire Victim Lawyers

INDIVIDUAL INSTEAD OF CLASS ACTION REPRESENTATION

We are pressing individual claims on behalf of our clients. Each client’s individual losses will be developed and presented for full compensation based on each person’s specific and unique losses.

In the typical class action lawsuit, by comparison, a settlement is brokered for a single sum of money which, on its face, usually seems like a very large amount but is not based on actual individual losses. Attorney fees and costs are then deducted off the top and the balance is divided among all the class members. The individual recoveries can be small. That’s why class actions are typically used only in cases in which individual losses are too small to make it worthwhile to prove losses individually. Plus, a class action does not really go forward as a class action until the court "certifies" the class. This certification process can take years, during which recovery is delayed.

Fire victims’ losses are enormous and, San Diego Fire Victims Lawyers (SDFVL) believe, should be established individually and without the delays of seeking class certification. No California court has ever "certified" a wildfire case as a class action, and SDFVL does not believe the Court will certify a class action in this case because it would unfairly deprive people of their right to recover the full amount of their losses.

Some people are saying to wait on a class action to prove SDG&E’s responsibility and then decide who to join. But there is no such thing as a free lunch. Class action lawyers would require a fee for this work from class members and then additional fees would be incurred for the recovery portion of the case. In short, the class action will result in much smaller recoveries and higher fees.