Insurance Law
Builders Could Be Targeted in Wildfire Lawsuits
Posted Nov 5, 2007, 05:27 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
The recent Southern California wildfires are likely to spark lawsuits over insurance coverage along with more unusual claims.
Insurance disputes were a hot issue following the 2003 wildfires, and they are likely to produce more suits this time, the National Law Journal reports. Litigation is likely not only between homeowners and insurers, but also between insurers and reinsurers.
One insurance issue is whether replacement coverage will pay for a new home to meet current building codes or to replace the home that was there, ABAJournal.com noted in post last month.
Some novel suits may be filed against developers who promised homeowners that building materials would keep their homes safe, Los Angeles lawyer Dean Hansell of Dewey & LeBoeuf told the NLJ.
Prosecutors are also being aggressive in filing charges against people who started fires, even if their actions were because of negligence.