(NewsNation) — Families of people killed in the Palisades Fire have filed more than a dozen wrongful death lawsuits against the city of Los Angeles and the state of California, racing to meet a year-end deadline that allowed them to recover damages for their loved ones’ pain and suffering.
The lawsuits were filed during the final weeks of 2025 before the Dec. 31 expiration of a California law that permitted families to seek compensation for pain, suffering or disfigurement endured by victims before their deaths.
The fire, which started Jan. 7, 2025, killed 12 people and destroyed more than 7,000 structures, making it one of the most destructive wildfires in California history.
Pacific Palisades Fire survivors rebuild with ‘hope’ one year on
“While much of the attention this past year has focused on the destruction of thousands of homes and businesses, the one-year anniversary of the Palisades Fire is especially difficult for those families whose loved ones perished in or as a result of the fire,” attorneys for the families said in a statement Monday…