Wildfire Litigation
Lahaina Fire Claims
Tollestrup Law, APC represents California residents and others with claims arising from the August 2023 Lahaina (Maui) wildfire.
The August 2023 wildfire that destroyed much of Lahaina, on the island of Maui, killed more than 100 people and displaced thousands. The legal aftermath has unfolded as coordinated mass- tort litigation against the principal utility, governmental entities, and large landowners.
Tollestrup Law represents individual claimants — survivors, property owners, renters, and businesses — in Lahaina-fire matters, with particular focus on California residents who suffered loss in the fire and on California-domiciled businesses with operations or property exposure on Maui.
How Lahaina claims are litigated
Lahaina-fire claims have been coordinated for pretrial purposes in proceedings that centralize common work — investigation into the ignition source, expert work on weather and fire behavior, motion practice on shared legal questions, and case-management decisions — while each claimant retains an individual claim.
Coordinated proceedings are not class actions. Each claimant has their own facts, their own damages, and their own evaluation under whatever settlement framework is reached. Coordination simply allows the cases to share the procedural backbone that would otherwise be duplicated thousands of times.
What we look at in an initial consultation
- Where you were and what you owned, rented, or operated in the affected area
- The nature of your loss — property destruction, displacement, business interruption, personal injury, or wrongful death of a family member
- Insurance coverage in place at the time of the fire and any claims, payments, or denials to date
- Documentation you have preserved or can recover (deeds, leases, inventories, photographs, receipts, medical records)
- Whether any deadlines have already run or are approaching for the categories of claim relevant to your situation
- Where you are domiciled and where you reside today, which can affect coordination and venue questions
Frequently asked questions
Who can bring a claim arising from the Lahaina fire?
Generally, individuals and businesses who suffered property damage, displacement, business interruption, personal injury, or lost a family member as a result of the August 2023 Lahaina wildfire may have a claim. Eligibility depends on the specific facts of each situation, the claimant's status as an owner, renter, or business operator, and the nature and timing of the loss. Whether a particular individual has a viable claim is a fact-specific question that requires an individual review with an attorney.
Are deadlines (statutes of limitations) a concern for Lahaina claims?
Yes. Wildfire claims are subject to statutes of limitations and, where government entities are defendants, additional pre-suit notice and presentation requirements. The applicable deadlines depend on the claim type, the defendant, and the jurisdiction in which the claim is brought. If you have not yet filed and are considering doing so, you should consult with counsel as soon as practicable.
How are Lahaina claims being litigated?
Lahaina-fire claims have been brought in coordinated proceedings. Coordination centralizes common pretrial work (discovery on the cause of the fire, expert work, motion practice on shared legal questions) without merging cases into a class action. Each claimant retains their own individual claim, with their own facts and damages.
What does Tollestrup Law's Lahaina representation look like?
The firm represents individual claimants in Lahaina-fire matters on a contingency-fee basis under a written engagement letter. The firm participates as individual-claimant counsel within the coordinated proceeding's leadership structure rather than seeking a leadership role itself. For matters that arise outside California, the firm coordinates with local counsel admitted in the relevant jurisdiction.
I'm a California resident who was visiting Maui — can the firm represent me?
California residents who suffered loss in the Lahaina fire are a regular subset of claimants the firm represents. The fact that the loss occurred in Hawaii does not, on its own, prevent representation; the firm coordinates with local Hawaii counsel where required by the rules of the coordinated proceeding and the courts involved.
What does an initial consultation cost?
Initial consultations on personal-injury and wildfire-related matters are free. There is no fee for the consultation itself, and the firm does not charge an attorney's fee unless and until there is a recovery on the matter, under the terms of the written engagement letter.
More on the blog
Background reading on the Lahaina proceeding, the defendants, the settlement framework, and California-resident questions. These are general-information articles; they are not legal advice for any specific situation.