Southern California Edison has extended more than $700 million in settlement offers to over 5,000 people who lost homes, businesses, or family members in the January 2025 Eaton Fire, the utility announced Thursday, June 25.

The figure marks the largest reported total for SCE's voluntary compensation program, which promises faster payouts but requires claimants who accept to give up the right to sue. With a civil trial tentatively scheduled for early 2027, according to court filings, the program's Monday, November 30 deadline puts pressure on survivors still deciding whether to settle or hold out for what attorneys say could be far more.

How the program works

The Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program, designed by compensation specialists Kenneth Feinberg and Camille Biros, calculates non-negotiable offers based on residential property damage, personal property, transportation expenses, business interruption, and physical injury or death. SCE says it delivers an offer within 90 days of a complete claim and adds 10% to the damages portion for claimants who hire lawyers.

Filing a claim does not waive any rights, according to SCE. Accepting one does. A claimant who takes the settlement signs an agreement promising not to sue the utility.

By mid-June, more than 1,700 claimants had been paid a total exceeding $250 million, the utility reported. The overall offer total climbed from $650 million in early June to nearly $700 million on June 18 and beyond $700 million as of June 25. SCE held a community meeting Tuesday, June 30, at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Pasadena to explain the program's terms.

Edison has not accepted responsibility for igniting the fire, which killed at least 19 people and destroyed more than 9,400 structures across Altadena and Pasadena. Surveillance video from Gerrish Swim & Tennis Club in Pasadena, submitted in a May 18 court filing by insurers' lawyers, shows two bright flashes at 6:11 p.m. on January 7, 2025, at the location of a century-old, idle Edison transmission tower. The L.A. County district attorney is investigating whether Edison should face criminal prosecution.

Edison has told investors it expects to pay little or nothing out of pocket because of Assembly Bill 1054, a 2019 state law that created a $21 billion wildfire fund. Reimbursement from that fund is not guaranteed; it depends on a state prudency review of Edison's conduct.

Advocates say offers fall short

Pedro J. Pizarro, president and CEO of Edison International, SCE's parent company, said in a statement that the program focuses on "helping people move forward with dedicated support, clear information and a streamlined process that delivers timely, fair outcomes."

Survivors' advocates disagree. The Eaton Fire Survivors Network, now called the Every Fire Survivor's Network, has argued Edison's offers amount to a fraction of what a courtroom might yield, pointing to PG&E's Fire Victim Trust, which paid more than $13.7 billion to over 66,000 claimants from California fires including the 2018 Camp Fire.

Joy Chen, the network's executive director and a former Los Angeles deputy mayor, said in fall 2025, when the program was newer and offer totals far lower, that "for a solvent, profitable Edison to offer less than a bankrupt company did is indefensible."

Plaintiffs' attorney Amanda Riddle has warned that delayed trial dates could push survivors to settle "at a deep discount" and called on Edison to enter a full, negotiated settlement process.

According to the Every Fire Survivor's Network, seven in 10 Los Angeles fire survivors are still not home, and nearly half have taken on new debt while waiting for recovery funds.

Residents who want to file a claim before the November 30 deadline can visit sce.com/directclaims or call 888-912-8528.