Are Eaton Hearth victims pressured to maneuver again into broken houses? – NBC Los Angeles

Eighteen months after the Palisades and Eaton fires, some households are nonetheless attempting to rebuild their lives whereas preventing with insurers over whether or not their smoke-damaged houses are secure to stay in.

Chauncy and Libby Godwin say they continue to be displaced from their Altadena dwelling after evacuating through the Eaton Hearth in January 2025. After they go inside, they put on masks. Their lounge stays a lot because it was after they fled, with their Christmas tree nonetheless standing.

“It’s arduous to imagine that it’s actual,” Libby Godwin stated.

The couple says their house is unsafe due to smoke injury and alleges that their insurer, Farmers Insurance coverage, has pressured them to maneuver again in.

“They’re type of cartoonish of their villainy,” Chauncy Godwin stated of insurance coverage firms. “It actually feels to me that they’re sitting behind their desks, twirling their mustaches.”

After months of backwards and forwards, the Godwins say Farmers has agreed to pay for not less than a part of the belongings inside their dwelling, totaling roughly $150,000 thus far. However they are saying the bigger dispute is over the house itself.

Testing commissioned by the household discovered “affirmation of persistent carcinogenic and toxigenic residues” inside the home and really helpful “full inside demolition right down to the studs” — work estimated to price greater than $1 million.

The Godwins say Farmers rejected that suggestion after its personal testing steered the home may largely be cleaned. The insurer as an alternative paid the household about $80,000 for cleansing and repairs, they stated.

Farmers stated it couldn’t touch upon particular person claims however stated in a press release that its “purpose is to pay claims shortly and pretty, considering the circumstances of the loss and the phrases of the coverage.”

The Godwins are among the many 38% of Los Angeles hearth survivors who report they’ve already run out of, or quickly will run out of, further residing bills (ALE), or insurance coverage cash that helps pay for momentary housing after a loss.

With out that cash, the couple says they’re left paying each the mortgage on their broken dwelling and lease for momentary housing.

“Taking a look at our lease and how lengthy it’s going to take, as a result of they’ve carried out nothing to get this home again, it’s a completely scary scenario,” Chauncy Godwin stated.

Nonetheless, the couple says they’re ready for a chronic struggle.

“We’ll struggle for so long as it takes,” Libby Godwin stated.

A test on the rebuilding course of after the Eaton Hearth. Lolita Lopez reviews for the NBC4 Information at 3 p.m. on Monday March 9, 2026.

Subsequent door, John Maust says his household is in an identical dispute with Farmers over whether or not their smoke-damaged dwelling requires structural remediation or will be cleaned.

“The window was melted shut,” Maust stated whereas pointing to break outdoors the house.

Not like the Godwins, Maust, his spouse and their three younger youngsters made the tough resolution to maneuver again in. Maust stated he and his spouse had severe considerations about potential contamination.

“Did we do sufficient?” he stated. “That was our greatest concern.”

Maust stated Farmers accused his household final 12 months of delaying repairs and prematurely lower off their remaining ALE advantages. He stated the corporate supplied $135,000 for cleansing and repairs, far beneath the household’s coverage restrict and in need of the $1.5 million their contractor estimated can be wanted to revive the house.

“We stated, OK, we have to attempt to get the home again so as, use what little cash we obtained, and the remainder we’ll do our greatest out of pocket,” Maust stated.

Farmers declined to touch upon Maust’s case. In a courtroom submitting responding to a lawsuit filed by the household, the corporate denied “each allegation.”

For Maust, the dispute has left a lingering concern that his dwelling could possibly be making his household sick.

“We hope we did it proper,” Maust stated. “I hope we did sufficient.”