The California FAIR Plan Denied or Underpaid Your Palisades Fire Claim? We Fight Back.
The California FAIR Plan is the state’s insurer of last resort. Many Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Topanga homeowners were moved to the FAIR Plan in the years before the Palisades Fire — and now face the same denial-and-delay patterns as standard-market carriers, with thinner coverage and faster cutoffs. KBK Lawyers fights FAIR Plan disputes. Free, confidential review.
Holding Insurance Companies Accountable
$1.8 million bad-faith recovery for a Woolsey Fire homeowner — after the carrier had already paid the insured over $1 million on the same claim. We have brought this fight against major California carriers before. The FAIR Plan is no different. (Attorney Advertising. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.)
Why the FAIR Plan Underpays Palisades Fire Claims
The FAIR Plan is structured to write the policies the standard market will not — high-risk, high-value fire zones. That structural reality drives a specific pattern of claim handling:
Lower policy limits than most homeowners had under their previous carrier
Coverage gaps that standard policies would have covered
Aggressive depreciation on contents and structure
Smoke and ash damage denied at a higher rate than standard carriers
ALE caps applied early and disputed often
Code-upgrade coverage ignored unless specifically purchased
“Wraparound” supplemental policies sometimes not coordinated with the underlying FAIR Plan
A California insurance bad-faith lawyer who has handled FAIR Plan disputes knows the leverage points — the statutory requirements the FAIR Plan must follow, the regulator pressure that can be applied, and the litigation theories that have produced recoveries against the FAIR Plan in past California fires.
Wraparound Coverage and the Hidden Recovery Path
Many Palisades, Malibu, and Topanga homeowners purchased “wraparound” or “difference-in-conditions” policies to supplement the FAIR Plan’s limited coverage. When the fire happens, the FAIR Plan disputes the underlying loss, and the wraparound carrier takes the FAIR Plan’s position as cover for its own denial. We fight both layers — the FAIR Plan claim AND the wraparound claim — to recover everything that was actually owed.
We Pursue Substantial FAIR Plan Recoveries
KBK Lawyers focuses on California wildfire insurance disputes involving substantial unpaid policy benefits. Our 20% contingency fee is among the lowest in the California plaintiffs’ bar for this kind of work. No fee unless we recover money for you.
What KBK Lawyers Has Recovered
$250M+
Northridge earthquake insurance bad-faith claims
$9M+
Station Fire smoke-damage class settlement for over 1,000 policyholders
$1.8M+
Woolsey Fire bad-faith recovery after the carrier had already paid seven figures
$1.7M+
in a water-damage bad-faith case
Our founding partner, Brian Kabateck, is a past President of Consumer Attorneys of California and a past President of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, and he has been quoted in the Los Angeles Times and on national news on California insurance and consumer cases.
What We Recover
- Full FAIR Plan benefits available under the policy
- Wraparound and supplemental policy benefits
- Code-upgrade coverage, where applicable
- Additional Living Expense (ALE) benefits through the actual rebuild period
- Smoke, soot, and ash remediation at actual cost
- Bad-faith damages against insurance carriers that failed to meet their obligations
- Statutory penalties available under the California Insurance Code
Speak With Our Experienced Team
Deadlines
FAIR Plan policies must give at least two years for suit on wildfire claims under California Insurance Code section 2071. Bad-faith tort claims run on the two-year personal injury limit. We map every deadline at the first call.
Frequently Asked Questions
My FAIR Plan claim was denied. Can I still recover from a wraparound carrier?
Yes. Wraparound coverage is structured to supplement the FAIR Plan, and a denial on one layer does not automatically defeat the other. We pursue both layers in coordinated litigation.
Is the FAIR Plan subject to the same bad-faith law as private carriers?
In significant respects, yes. The FAIR Plan must comply with California Insurance Code provisions and the duty of good faith and fair dealing. Bad-faith litigation against the FAIR Plan is well-established under California law.
What does it cost to have my FAIR Plan case reviewed?
Nothing. The first consultation is free and confidential. If we take the case, we work on a 20% contingency fee.
Attorney Advertising. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.