Former LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner is suing his insurance company over damage to his home from the Palisades Fire. Beutner says Bankers Standard Insurance, a subsidiary of Chubb, has not done enough to properly repair and remediate the property. He says the home suffered extensive smoke damage and remains unsafe to enter more than a year and a half after the fire. Beutner says the insurer failed to conduct adequate testing for toxic substances. Tests performed by a private contractor found elevated levels of several toxic metals, including arsenic, lithium, zinc and lead. Beutner says the insurance company has agreed to remediate only half of the rooms, even though testing found elevated levels of toxic metals throughout the home. He argues the company should cover the cost of remediating the entire property. The lawsuit seeks to force the insurer to pay for what Beutner says is necessary to make his home safe and habitable again.
