The start of the deadly Palisades Fire as captured on January 7 at 11:10 from the Ballona Wetlands. The fire was not extinguished when it was in the hills, allowing it to reach homes.
An amended complaint for the Palisades Fire Litigation was filled today, July 9, in Los Angeles Superior Court. The complaint adds the State of California as a defendant for allowing the Lachman Fire, which started on New Year’s Eve in Topanga State Park, to rekindle on January 7.
This complaint also alleges new evidence. Photos taken hours after LAFD declared the Lachman Fire “fully contained” (January 1) show no firefighters remained on scene to perform any mop up or were posted as a fire watch.
According to the law suit there are sevearal new allegations. Contrary to LADWP’s press releases, there were no “hurricane force” winds during the critical period of potential containment during the first six hours of the fire.
LADWP failed to comply with its own policies and state regulations that required annual underwater inspections of the floating cover on the Santa Ynez Reservoir. LADWP’s last underwater inspection of this floating cover was done in 2021. After a 160-foot tear was discovered in early 2024, LADWP officials tried to cover up their failure to conduct the required annual inspections by changing their inspection policy after-the-fact to require inspections only every three years.
That empty Santa Ynez Reservoir forced water-dropping helicopters to fly long distances outside the fire zone to refill their water tanks, losing a total of 6 hours and 25 minutes of time during the critical initial attack of the fire.
Also, the complaint includes how LADWPs’ energized power lines started multiple fires and contributed to the rapid spread of the fire. After being instructed at 1:40 p.m. on January 7 to go to the Palisades substation to de-energize the electrical circuits, LADWP’s patrolman did not arrive at the substation until 6:18 p.m., or approximately 5-1/2 hours later.
When the patrolman tried to de-energize the circuits the outdated equipment failed, and he had to evacuate the substation without de-energizing any of the circuits because the fire was outside the substation.
Twenty-two days later on January 29, the patrolman went back into LADWP’s computer log and attempted to alter the time that he arrived at the Palisades substation from 6:18 p.m. to 1:47 p.m., in an attempt to eliminate the 5-1/2 hour delay.
The City of Los Angeles ignored its own brush clearance ordinances and overgrown brush on City-owned vacant lots, which caught fire in the Castellammare section of the Palisades, which contributed to the rapid spread of the fire and the destruction of homes.
“The failures by the City of Los Angeles were monumental and were directly responsible for the destruction of thousands of homes and loss of life in the Palisades Fire. As if this destruction was not horrible enough, it appears that the City was more worried about protecting its image than protecting the residents of Pacific Palisades”, said Alexander “Trey” Robertson, IV, Co-Liaison Plaintiffs’ Counsel.
The amended complaint was filed in Grigsby, et al. v. City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Superior Court Case No. 25STCV00832, which has been designated as the lead case by the Court in the Palisades Fire Litigation. The amended complaint was filed by the legal team of Alexander “Trey” Robertson, IV of Robertson & Associates, LLP; Roger Behle and Robert Curtis of Foley, Bezek, Behle & Curtis, LLP and the Hon. Jay C. Gandhi (Ret.), who together represent 3,300 victims of the Palisades Fire. Attorneys Robertson, Behle and Curtis have been appointed by the Court as Co-Liaison Counsel to lead the litigation on behalf of all victims in the Palisades Fire.
This photo was taken at 12:25 p.m. on January 7 from Theatre Palisades. Electricity was not deenergized during the Palisades Fire, resulting in numerous power lines going down.
Can we just remove the reservoir cover? How do water-dropping helicopters reach the water with the cover in place? I drove by yesterday and it still looks empty.
Would have helped to turn off the gas as well.
Sue, you are doing a remarkable job keeping the fault of the fire alive and top of mind.
Keep up the good work, our Palisades Woodward/Bernstein. Over the years, you’ve been responsible for stories about my TV show and kid’s book writing. I’m even prouder now to have been included.
Excellent summary, thank you Sue. We will FINALLY have the accountability we seek from our government about this fire and see in glaring light the culture of incompetence and complacency that led so many Los Angeles government employees to ignore the well being of this public. We trusted you to do your job and you failed us.
Does anyone have ideas on how to correct this widespread cancerous government culture? What do we do when LAPD doesn’t patrol hillsides, when CD-11 cannot manage teenagers with fireworks and explosives, when LAFD doesn’t pre-deploy, when LADWP doesn’t have water… it’s a surprise that any of us, who trusted these losers, are still alive. A complete betrayal of the public trust. I don’t know how we can repair this level of operational failure. Perhaps some pundits can chime in and talk about a return to fundamentals like operational checklists and thinning the herd of all low and non functioning personnel. Switching out the leaders to more effective executives. In other words, fire all the losers and make sure the staff that remain follow a bloody checklist.
A word to the wise… if you are in this government look for another job.. Layoffs will begin as soon as the cost of settling BILLIONS of dollars of lawsuit claims begin. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
I have subscribed to CTN for over 5 years and have been watching for news about the lawsuits related to the fires. What did I miss and when? I fear it is too late for me to opt in after losing my home of 52 1/2 years. I have faced many challenges in my life and overcome them, but this is the worst disaster that has ever befallen me.
How do I join the lawsuit?
Mary,
I am so sorry about your home. I’ve run at least two stories and in musings about joining a lawsuit because the deadline to sign up for many of the law firms was in June. I’ll ask in musings if anyone knows of another option.
Sue
Karin,
The deadline to join many of the lawsuits was in June–I ran a couple of stories about law firms taking clients–I’ll ask in musings if anyone knows another option for people who didn’t sign up in time.
Sue
Try Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan law firm. We signed up with this law firm after Robertson & Associates did not send us the paper work to file in June.
Hi Sue,
I don’t see anything about the kids who have been starting fires with big blast fireworks almost every night right along, among other rather obnoxious and dangerous behaviors. En masse, they’ve attacked CVS, blocked PCH (and I’m told Sunset as well but I don’t know that for sure,) as well as harassed patrons of the shops and stores in the Village complete with graffiti and vandalism. And, everyone in the Palisades has heard -and complained about – the fireworks the kids have shot up for at least a couple of years. When confronted, the parents said, ‘Kids will be kids,’ etc… Some of that group started the New Year’s Eve fire which is exactly the fire that destroyed so many lives as it renewed itself as the Palisades fire a week later. And, everyone knew it, photos and all! Maybe, the help came too slowly on the 7th of January or perhaps there were difficulties with water and all the other excuses I hear, but it was that New Year’s fire, burning 8 acres that was the parent of our disaster and I’m not hearing word one about it! It’s true that the families of the kids wouldn’t be able to cover the costs of what occurred and the deep pockets are the DWP and the City but, let’s face it. Were it not for that first fire…. !!
Stay well… In spite of all your losses, you are indispensable and brilliant at what you do. It’s a heavy mantle you wear but we all need you beyond belief now. Thanks for shouldering that huge responsibility. We couldn’t have come this far without you!!
P.S.My Email WAS jerry6665@yahoo.com but Yahoo froze my accounts. They get cranky when you suddenly have new/differing ID’s, phone numbers and emails.
Try Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan law firm. We signed up with this law firm after Robertson & Associates did not send us the paper work to file in June.