The Beautiful Altadena Lawsuit
All About Our Legal Team, What We Filed, When and Why. Plus, Tips & Tricks to Vet any Firm or Attorney You May Be Considering
There’s no doubt the sharks, charlatans, ambulance chasers, and the well intended but not so well equipped are all rushing in to get their share of the Eaton Fire feeding frenzy. Our neighbors are being spammed online, bombarded with emails, accosted with solicitous commercials and door hangers, and harassed out shopping. There’s even a law firm setting up shop in trailer across the street from Grocery Outlet with a banner hanging across the front of Full Circle Thrift. We knew this would happen which is why we organized our own Beautiful Altadena mass tort lawsuit and why we continue to advocate that everyone be their own best advocate and do their homework before they even consider signing with anyone.
Who We Are Using & Why
Our suit (which we affectionately refer to as the Beautiful Altadena lawsuit because it's us as the lead plaintiff along with many of our immediate neighbors and friends, and many members of our eponymous private group) is being led by Brent & Fiol, LLP – Joe Brent and his partners David Fiol and Kipp Mueller along with Rouda, Feder, Tietjen & McGuinn– John Feder and Cynthia McGuinn. If any other attorneys not listed here say they are working with us or call their suit the Beautiful Altadena suit, know that is not true.
How This Got Started
Joe Brent is a very good friend of ours and a local, but more importantly an incredible lawyer who, along with his partners, has a deep civil rights background and has spent the last six years prosecuting SCE for their misdeeds right here in LA County – specifically the property damage, personal injury and loss of life related to SCE’s electrical line negligence.
Because this is such a significant case, his firm has partnered with John Feder's. John has prosecuted wildfire cases in the past and is one of the country's top attorneys (Google him) who now lives in La Cañada.
Hours after our home was lost on the morning of January 8 we called Joe and they were nearly immediately on the case. By Thursday, January 9 they were getting experts on site and have been working tirelessly since.
Some of their recent cases that demonstrate their experience with utility operations, the relevant law and their ability to litigate high stakes cases successfully here in LA County include RACHEL KROPP, et al v. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON COMPANY in 2021 and ANTONIO CALDERON, et al. vs SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON COMPANY in 2024.
Fun Fact: Joe also prosecuted the CEO of Nextdoor (yes, that Nextdoor) for leaving the scene of an accident he caused. How neighborly. The irony of that one is too rich not to share.
Joe’s partner Kipp was recently in Sacramento lobbying for the Justin Kropp Safety Act – a consumer protection bill and a bill mandating AEDs on electrical worksites that Kipp penned bro bono to honor one of their clients, Justin Kropp.
Experience, reputation and track record matter and Joe, John, Kipp and their partners have all of these. I know and trust these attorneys. Their track records and client relationships speak for themselves, and we went to them– not the other way around.
They do not advertise. They have not updated their website to tout their SCE or wildfire case accolades (it would be tasteless given the circumstances of cases like ours) or to even mention this current Eaton Fire case. They aren’t dropping press releases. They aren’t soliciting clients. They are my friends who've spent countless days and nights in our Altadena home and loved it and our community as much as we did. They want justice for us, not to line their pockets. They have an amazing track record fighting SCE. This is personal. They will fight hard for us.
For more background on our case, Kipp Mueller from our team has made two TikTok videos that discussed a recent NY Times story on the seemingly overwhelming evidence, Video 1 and a LA Times story about SCE's suppression of evidence related to an earlier wildfire that you can watch in Video 2.
This is the only case we'll be sharing or endorsing because it's the only one I know well enough to trust and feel safe encouraging you to join. An endorsement I do not take lightly.
What Will It Cost?
Our team is charging 25% of what is recovered. That is 25% off of your net settlements, not gross. There are no upfront expenses. There is nothing owed if we don’t prevail. And this does not in any way impact your insurance settlements. (There was another rumor going around that we’d have to repay the insurance companies if we receive a settlement. That is false. The insurance companies will pursue SCE if it comes to that.)
Who Else is Filing Lawsuits
Everyone. Many suits are being filed and are going to be filed. Some by other great attorneys, albeit from large and less personal firms, and others by ambulance chasers, randoms with no experience and worse, some very shady snakes who do not have our best interests at heart. We are not endorsing any other suits because we aren't involved and don't have enough info to feel comfortable doing so.
Pro Tip: Anyone coming from out of town to jump on these cases should make you question their motives. Anyone pressuring you to sign on fast is also a big red flag (more on that below). Anyone insisting they have wildfire experience without significant experience battling SCE in LA County for electrical line negligence is also not who I'd personally want on this. Everyone’s case will be different so please reach out to a few firms and have a personal conversation about yours and find someone who is the best fit for you.
Bottom Line – Don’t Let Anyone Pressure You
All of that said, do not let anyone pressure you into signing with anyone until you’re good and ready. The statute of limitations on these cases is two years from the disaster date (January 8, 2027) and there is some precedent to indicate that may be extended. We acted fast to be one of the first to file on January 17 for a number of reasons. First, because we knew there would soon be an overwhelming number of people filing cases and things would get lost in the shuffle, but also for some deeply personal reasons. My husband is battling Stage IV cancer and knowing these cases drag out for years at the best of times, we knew we didn’t have time to waste. Someone had to go first, so it was us.
My Personal Advice
Ultimately, my advice is that you find someone you're comfortable with and file. Don't feel that you need to be rushed, but do file and don’t wait to be the last. When this many people file suits in a mass tort all of the suits will be consolidated by the court (which has already happened), all of the attorneys (100+ and counting!) will work together on weekly calls sharing experts and evidence, and a judge will decide who will lead the pack. Find someone you feel good about, who understands the merits of your particular case, and will offer you the best possible personalized representation for the lowest cost. One size will not fit all.
Our Beautiful Altadena Legal Team’s Contact Info
Feel free to reach out to anyone on our legal team for more information and to have a personal conversation about your case. You can tell them I sent you.
John M. Feder, Cynthia McGuinn, June Bashant, and Loren Schwartz
Attorneys at Rouda, Feder, Tietjen & McGuinn
44 Montgomery Street, Suite 1900
San Francisco, CA 94104
Office: 415-398-5398
www.rftmlaw.com
Joseph P. Brent, David L. Fiol, and Kipp Mueller, Esq.
Attorneys at Brent & Fiol, LLP
Los Angeles County:
117 E. Colorado Blvd, Suite 465, Pasadena, CA 91105
San Francisco Bay Area:
1000 Fourth Street, Ste 580, San Rafael, CA 94901
Office: 626.240.4850
www.brentfiol.com
An Important Footnote
As an important footnote to this, we receive no benefit if you choose to work with our firm or if you sign onto our lawsuit. I organized this lawsuit with someone I trust for the same reasons I created and have run our private groups since December 2015 and the same reason I write this newsletter – I love our town, I love our community, and I don’t want to see anyone, and I mean anyone, get screwed.
How to Research Any Attorney Yourself
We all have decision fatigue and our brains are processing so much trauma right now our decision making skills aren’t what they ought to be. Reality is, no single firm is going to be able to represent us all, everyone’s case is going to be different, and everyone needs to take the time to do their due diligence and make informed decisions about what is ultimately going to be the best representation. There are many ways to smartly do your own research so you can feel confident in the decision you make. Here’s a short list:
1) Martindale: Contains ratings based on comments about the attorney from other attorneys and judges. An attorney with an AV rating is considered of the highest ability. Everyone should be looking for attorneys who are respected by their peers. Anything less than an AV rating? Red flag.
2) California State Bar: The Official source of basic information about any attorney, including their admission status, educational background, and office address. This will also note if there’s ever been an action or complaint against them. Any issues on the State Bar site? Red flag.
3) Consumer Attorneys of California: The CAOC is the organization formed by California attorneys who represent victims in wrongful death, personal injury and property damage cases (cases like all of ours). It provides its members with ongoing education and advocates on behalf of clients before state government. Active membership and a history of leadership at the CAOC demonstrates a commitment to and history of serving the interests of disaster victims. For example, one of our legal team, John Feder is a former President of the entire organization. Brent & Fiol, LLP (which includes our team Joe Brent, David Fiol and Kip Mueller) is in the President’s Club and Kip Mueller is on the Board. No involvement in the organization? Red flag.
4) Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine: In case you aren’t already familiar, the Way Back Machine provides snapshots of a particular web site as it appeared over time, to determine whether the attorney has attempted to mislead about his or her experience or connections to the area. This is a great way to see if that attorney with all of the experience just added it to their website or if they’ve changed recently their areas of expertise. Recent changes that aren’t just an update of past verifiable achievements? New websites? New local offices? Red flag.
5) Google: A simple Google search will often given you a history of the attorney’s achievements in the courts even if they don’t list them on their websites.
With this, I’d also suggest looking at the company any attorney keeps. For example, Kipp Mueller on our team made a run for State Senate and has good relationships with Senators including our new State Senator Sasha Pérez, who has been key in demanding transparency, support and investigations into what happened in Altadena and who joined us in person for our info session at the Hotel Dena last month. A lack of history and relationships in the area is concerning. Another red flag.
5) Fees: Examine closely what any firm is charging. Ours is taking 25% of net (not gross) on contingency, which means you will not have to pay anything upfront and you only pay if you reach a settlement. While costs are not capped (your specific case may require an expert witness someone else’s does not) they keep expenses lower by sharing expert witnesses with other firms they work with. Examine fees being charged closely and be sure you understand them.
Bottom line, please, please, please do your due diligence and do not be pressured into making any rushed decisions about anything right now. Not everyone has our best interests at heart and while I hate to be even more of a cynic than I typically am, it’s what’s required at this time. Find a reputable attorney you trust and go with them.
Thank you for all of this detailed information Shawna! You are so right about decision fatigue. Can we sign on to the lawsuit if our home is still standing? My home definitely has smoke damage, not to mention the mental toll all of this is taking. Seeing my hometown of 61 years gone in the blink of an eye is still surreal.
Thank you Shawna for always looking out for our Beautiful Altadena. 🥹
Linda and I, as well as several friends, were in with them from day one. We also provided them with two witness sources (friends) who photographed the fire starting, in the weeds and uncleared bushes at the base of the tower. Our Legal Team, for sure. They are on top of it and are seriously caring and concerned with our welfare.
We will keep cranking, Shawna!