Thousands of gallons of water flooded streets and homes in Studio City when a water main ruptured this past September.

Months later, residents say they should have received compensation for damages from the city by now, but instead they face a complicated push and pull among city officials, the Department of Water and Power, and the residents affected by the flooding.

"We are just so stunned by the way we have been treated," homeowner Naghmeh Sefaradi said to a city council committee. "We lost our home overnight ... Nobody has done anything to help us out."

Sefaradi described the "coldness" with which the city council treated people who were devastated by the flood damage, while other residents said they were being treated "like criminals."

However, the city said it must protect itself from bogus claims by thoroughly investigating the claims they see as having red flags.

"We have folks seeking recovery for a $95,000 diamond ring allegedly washed off a kitchen counter," City Attorney Joe Brajevich told the LA Times.

"The city attorney's office takes its responsibility seriously and is going to make sure that the claims that get paid out have legal and factual merit," said Brajevich.

One homeowner attributes the conflict to the high value of the homes and their contents in Studio City. "These are multimillion-dollar homes that are flooding out, and they don't know how to deal with it," said Michael Yaghoubi to the Times.

City Councilman Paul Koretz told the Times he felt the city had "dealt with some folks with a lack of sensitivity. And I think they may be demanding more in terms of documentation than I think is realistic."

The 62-inch ruptured main was at Coldwater Canyon Boulevard in Studio City.

Businesses and homeowners filed 108 claims after the flooding, and as of Wednesday only 25 have been settled.