An elderly homeowner endured mandatory evacuations and suffered significant smoke, soot, and ash damage to her home in Santa Barbara, California as a result of the Thomas Fire in December 2017 and survived the subsequent debris flows on January 9, 2018 that took the lives of 23 other community members. In her words, “the twin disasters were a period of crisis and my life was turned upside down.”
In pursuing a claim under her homeowner’s insurance policy to recover the insurance proceeds for which she paid valuable premiums, the homeowner experienced a difficult and distressing process and significant delay as a seemingly “endless cycle” of adjusters rotated on and off her claim. She felt she was “facing impossible, insurmountable odds.” The situation changed once Jenner & Block became her pro bono counsel—ultimately recovering nearly an additional $500,000 on her claim. Those additional funds allowed the homeowner to complete necessary and long awaited remediation and repair work on her home. “These were unachievable results on my own” said the homeowner. “When I really needed someone, you were there and I want to give you and your firm a five-star review.” Partner Jan Larson led the effort to secure the additional insurance recoveries.
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