Eaton andPalisades Fire survivorshave demanded action for 16 months. And the California Department of Insurance has finally released itsmarket conduct exam of State Farm.
The findings are damning. And they confirm what survivors have been saying since January 2025.
State Farm delayed. State Farm underpaid.State Farm buried policyholders in red tape, shuffled them between adjusters, denied smoke damage claims without explanation, and failed to meet basic legal obligations to the people who trusted them.
The Department found violations in 52% of the 220 claims it reviewed. Extrapolate that across 11,300 residential claims. and the scale of harm becomes staggering.
We are glad this investigation is out. Survivors earned this moment.
But let’s be honest about what we are looking at.
This report is not just an indictment of State Farm. It’s also an indictment of the California Department of Insurance itself.
Thousands of families filed complaints with the department, begging it to do one simple thing: its job of enforcing our contracts.
State Farm did not conduct itself illegally in a vacuum. It did so for 16 months while the department had the authority, and the obligation, to stop it.
The LA Timesdocumentedthat the Department filed survivor complaints into a black box, closing cases before disputes were resolved, and telling policyholders to stop communicating with their own handlers.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
