Business Losses

The most recent batch of California wildfires have taken their toll on the state leaving many people without homes, rental properties, businesses, pets, vehicles, vegetation, and, in some cases, the loss of a loved one.

Business Losses

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Business Losses in California Wildfire

Businesses throughout California have been hit hard. Thousands of small business owners now have nothing after working their entire lives to build their businesses. Their wages are gone, their place of business is gone, and, they may have lost their homes and all their personal possessions. How can they rebuild?

Many of the wildfires were not accidents, and there may be someone or something at fault for causing or exacerbating the wildfires. This could be campers, power companies, and/or an incompetent contractor. In most cases, someone can be held liable for causing these devastating fires.

You worked hard to build your business, so don’t let it be lost. The attorneys at Sargent Law Firm have already helped business owners like you recoup their losses and may be able to do the same for you.

california-wildfire-insurance-attorney

The most recent batch of California wildfires have taken their toll on the state leaving many people without homes, rental properties, businesses, pets, vehicles, vegetation, and, in some cases, the loss of a loved one.

Businesses throughout California have been hit hard. Thousands of small business owners now have nothing after working their entire lives to build their businesses. Their wages are gone, their place of business is gone, and, they may have lost their homes and all their personal possessions. How can they rebuild?

Many of the wildfires were not accidents, and there may be someone or something at fault for causing or exacerbating the wildfires. This could be campers, power companies, and/or an incompetent contractor. In most cases, someone can be held liable for causing these devastating fires.

You worked hard to build your business, so don’t let it be lost. The attorneys at Sargent Law Firm have already helped business owners like you recoup their losses and may be able to do the same for you.

BUSINESS INCOME LOSS

Like most business owners in California, you may have purchased business income loss insurance to help protect you in case of a wildfire. The point to having a policy like this is to replace your business and the income it provided in cases where the business and its building is a complete loss.

If you’ve lost your business due to a California wildfire, your insurance policy should replace your income and workplace until you can restore the physical location for your business. Every California business income loss insurance policy is different, but they should cover the following things:

Profit Loss:

This is any money your business expected to take in while it was open based on historical data.

Operating Expenses:

There are generally a lot of expenses associated with running a business that continue to add up, even if your business isn’t open. If the physical location of your business wasn’t totally destroyed in the wildfires you will still have to pay rent, utilities, security systems, and whatever else you paid to keep your business up and running. In many cases, your employees may expect to be paid.

Temporary Location:

If you can’t afford to close your business, you will need to find an alternative location. Your California business loss insurance policy should cover all your expenses associated with this temporary location.

Reduced Business:

If you keep your business open after the wildfires, even in a limited capacity, there should be language in your business loss insurance policy that will pay the difference of what income your business would normally bring in if fully functional.

PERSONAL PROPERTY ON BUSINESSES

Your casualty insurance policy should protect your personal property and you as a business owner from claims against you as the result of events or actions happening in your place of business. In the case of a wildfire, it’s possible that other people may bring a lawsuit against you if they believe your property or business was negligent in them being damaged by the fire.

Policies in California can differ on who specifically is covered, and sometimes the policy will protect the whole business from being sued by people being hurt by a fire and sometimes it only protects you as the business owner. You should read your policy carefully to make sure both you and your business are protected by such claims.

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GUIDE TO FILING A PERSONAL PROPERTY CLAIM IN CALIFORNIA

A negligence lawsuit involves meeting some criteria that your attorney must prove. In order to prove your case, your attorney must prove:

Duty:

Many negligence outcomes are determined by whether or not the defendant had a legal duty to you, such as a power company or contractor. When a relationship exists between you and the possible defendant and it’s recognized that the defendant must provide you with a level of care. It will be up to a judge or jury to decide whether the defendant owed you a particular duty of care.

Breath of Duty:

Sometimes when a defendant owes you a duty of care that’s not enough. Your attorney may need to prove that there was a breach in the care because of the defendant’s negligence. For example, when a power company and/or contractor doesn’t take a reasonable amount of steps to fulfill their duty of care to you. It’s not that the duty exists, but the breach of that duty that the judge and court will look for.

Cause in Fact:

To win your personal property damage lawsuit, you must prove that the actions of the defendant engaged in were the cause of the fire damage to your property. In the courts in California, this is known as “but-for”, that means if it weren’t for the defendant’s actions, the fire damage wouldn’t have happened.

Proximate Cause:

The scope of the defendant’s responsibility and duty of care in a personal property negligence case is proximate cause. The defendant must only be responsible for the fire damages to your personal property that would have been expected through particular actions. If the fire damages happened outside the scope of the defendant’s expectations, it may be difficult to prove their actions cause your damages.

Damages:

This is the harm the fire caused to your personal property and it must be recognized legally. There must be present a quantifiable damage the fire caused to your property after you’ve proven the defendant breached their duty of care.

Call an Experienced California Wildfire Attorney

CALL ATTORNEY RYAN SARGENT

Ryan Sargent’s team of attorney and staff are strong advocates for the victims of the California wildfires. These fires can rob you and your family of your home, vehicles, rental properties, businesses, personal property, pets, and land. You may have lost your property but this doesn’t mean you can’t collect damages from those who are responsible.

The Sargent Law Firm promises you will not pay a fee unless they win your case. Call to schedule your fee consultation with no obligation.

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All of our initial consultations are 100% FREE & Confidential. Fill out this form to request a FREE Consultation.

By submitting this form, you consent to being contacted by The Wildfire Lawyers via phone, text, or email. 888.501.6083