What Should Palisades Fire Plaintiffs Do Now to Document Contents Losses?

Gather what survived now: pre-fire photos, video stills, social media posts, receipts, insurance schedules, and any prior appraisals, even though the Palisades fire litigation's damages questionnaire has not yet been issued. Inverse condemnation claims in that litigation have already survived the City of Los Angeles's demurrer, with more than 10,000 plaintiffs involved, so the case is moving toward a damages phase even before the specific documentation format is set.

Why early documentation matters before a questionnaire exists

Waiting for a formal questionnaire before gathering evidence costs time that's hard to get back. Phone photo libraries get reorganized or lost, cloud storage lapses, social media posts become harder to search, and memories of what a room or closet actually contained fade. None of that depends on a court schedule, so starting the inventory process early protects evidence regardless of when the questionnaire lands.

Ember Wildfire Contents Appraisers builds evidence-linked household inventories from whatever documentation exists today, classifying each item by how well it's supported so the inventory is ready to match whatever format the eventual questionnaire requires. We value contents losses; we don't represent plaintiffs in the litigation itself or refer survivors to legal counsel. If you want your household's evidence organized into a documented inventory before the questionnaire is issued, request a contents appraisal.

For the litigation's court filings, see the Palisades fire litigation portal.