Pre-settlement funding: California Wildfire

Pre-settlement funding for California wildfire claims.

Property damage, personal injury, and wrongful death claims arising from utility-caused wildfires. How pre-settlement funding works for qualifying plaintiffs pending settlement or trial.

Non-recourse funding is repaid only from a settlement or award. Independent capital providers set the terms.

Bills do not wait for your case.

Rent, medical bills and living costs keep arriving while a case moves through the court. An advance against a pending case can cover them and is repaid only if the case produces a recovery.

Overview

How California wildfire cases are reviewed

California wildfire litigation typically involves claims against investor-owned utilities — Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison, and others — for igniting wildfires through electrical infrastructure failures. These cases involve inverse condemnation (in California, utilities are strictly liable for fire damage caused by their equipment), negligence, and nuisance theories. Major wildfires (Camp Fire, Tubbs Fire, Dixie Fire, Caldor Fire) have generated some of the largest personal injury settlements in California history.

Property destruction and loss claims against utility companies
Personal injury and wrongful death from fire, smoke inhalation, and evacuation-related incidents
Inverse condemnation claims under California's strict liability standard
Claims in PG&E, SCE, and other utility-involved wildfire proceedings
Qualifying criteria

What makes a qualifying case

Not every claim is a fit for funding. These are the factors our review weighs most heavily for this case type. Meeting them does not guarantee that a provider will fund.

A property, personal injury, or wrongful death claim arising from a utility-caused California wildfire
Documented loss — property records, proof of loss, or medical records — tied to the specific fire
A claim filed or submitted in the relevant utility wildfire proceeding or claims process, with retained counsel
An identified utility defendant or applicable settlement fund

Requirement 1

Documented loss tied to a specific utility-caused fire, with retained counsel

Requirement 2

Active claim in the relevant proceeding or claims process

Requirement 3

An identified utility defendant or available settlement fund

Terms

How terms are set

Rates and terms are set by the capital provider and written in the provider’s agreement before signing.

Term
How it works
Decision
Made by the independent capital provider, not by Criterica Capital
Advance size
Set by the capital provider
Pricing
Set by the capital provider and written in its agreement before signing
Repayment
Non-recourse funding is repaid only from a recovery. The provider’s agreement states the terms.
Process

How the process works for California wildfire claims

  1. STEP 1
    Apply
    Submit your claim information including the specific wildfire involved, property or injury description, and attorney information.
  2. STEP 2
    Documentation
    Your attorney provides proof of loss, property records or medical records, and confirmation of case filing or claim submission.
  3. STEP 3
    Provider decision
    Independent capital providers review the file, decide whether to fund and set their own terms. Criterica Capital does not make the funding decision.
  4. STEP 4
    Provider agreement
    If a provider funds the case, the provider's agreement states how and when funds are paid.
Underwriting

How we underwrite this case type

California wildfire underwriting leverages the state's inverse-condemnation standard, under which utilities are strictly liable for damage caused by their equipment — a favorable liability posture. We confirm the claim ties to a specific utility-caused fire, assess the documented loss, and evaluate the recovery path, whether through litigation or a utility settlement fund or trust. Expected recovery is modeled against the resolution history of comparable wildfire proceedings.

Typical timeline

Wildfire recoveries depend heavily on the proceeding; settlement-fund distributions can take two to five years from claim submission to payment.

FAQ

California Wildfire Funding: common questions

Pre-settlement funding is a non-recourse purchase of a portion of the proceeds of a pending legal claim — not a loan. If the case does not result in a recovery, nothing is owed. Rates, fees, and repayment terms are disclosed in full in the funding agreement, which the applicant’s attorney reviews before signing. Availability and terms vary by state.

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