Even as the Eaton and Palisades wildfires continue to burn, trial lawyers from Southern California and elsewhere have already begun lighting a legal blaze of their own in Los Angeles courts, filing lawsuits this week on behalf of residents in those communities, with an untold number of suits to follow.
The lawsuits, so far, have taken aim at the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP) and power supplier Southern California Edison.
The legal actions accuse LADWP of failing to ensure there was sufficient water to aid in fighting the fire that destroyed the Pacific Palisades community.
Roger Behle Jr.
| Foley Bezek Behle & Curtis
And the actions against Edison indicate plaintiffs intend to accuse the electrical utility of either sparking the Eaton fire that ravaged Altadena or taking actions that allegedly could have worsened the blaze.
On Jan. 14, attorneys with the firms of Foley Bezek Behle & Curtis, of Santa Barbara, and Robertson & Associates, of Westlake Village, filed suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power.
The suit was filed on behalf of an untold number of the "survivors of the deadly Palisades Fire," according to a release announcing the lawsuit.
Attorneys from the Foley Bezek and Robertson firms did not respond immediately to questions from The Record about their legal action.
However, according to their release, the lawsuit asserts LADWP should be made to pay for allegedly failing to ensure firefighters had access to all water resources that should have been available as the blaze ignited and spread.
The release said the lawsuit particularly faults LADWP for making "the concious decision not to timely repair the Santa Ynez Reservoir," leaving it "drained and unusable, all as a 'cost-saving' measure.'"
"The water supply system servicing Pacific Palisades failed miserably, leaving residents and firefighters with little to no water to fight the blaze," said attorney Roger Behle, of the Foley Bezek firm in a prepared statement included in the release.
"The Santa Ynez Reservoir, a 117- million-gallon water storage complex that is part of the Los Angeles water supply system was empty, and had been empty for nearly a year. As a result, residents in one of the most affluent and highest-taxed areas in the nation were denied one of the most basic things a government should provide: water," Behle said in the release.
According to the release, Behle's family had also lost their home to a wildfire in 2020.
The attorneys further noted California Gov. Gavin Newsom has also called the "loss of water pressure and deliberate shut down of the Santa Ynez Reservoir by the LADWP ... 'deeply troubling.'"
The release noted Newsom has indicated in public comments that he believed the loss of water pressure in the Palisades community as firefighting efforts began "'likely impaired' the ability of firefighters to protect homes and evacuation corridors in Pacific Palisades."
Meanwhile, other lawsuits have been filed in L.A. County court against Southern California Edison.
While the fires remain unextinguished and a cause for the fires remains uninvestigated and unconfirmed, the lawsuits appear to make the electrical utility a target for blame.
Lawsuits have been filed or are soon expected from a number of law firms.
These include a consortium of plaintiffs' attorneys, marketing themselves as "Wildfire Recovery Attorneys."
The "Wildfire Recovery Attorneys" group include lawyers from the firms of Baron & Budd, of Encino, a firm that has made its name leading asbestos-related lawsuits for decades; Diab Chambers, of San Diego, which describes itself as a firm specializing in suing "large, privately owned utility companies" following "mass disasters;" and Ellis Riccobono, a Los Angeles personal injury firm which has filed lawsuits in a number of other wildfire events, including in southern and northern California, Oregon and Hawaii.
In a "fact sheet" posted on their site as part of an effort to attract clients, the "Wildfire Recovery Attorneys" indicate they have already filed suit against Southern California Edison over the Eaton fire.
While they acknowledge investigation of the current wildfires likely will take months, if not years, the lawyers said their "team of private fire investigators and other experts" have gathered information showing "a good faith basis and sufficient evidence to file a lawsuit against Southern California Edison."
"We are alleging their electrical infrastructure started this fire," the lawyers said in their "fact sheet."
The firm of Edelson P.C. has also filed a lawsuit, according to a published report.
The firm began in Chicago and made its name initially leading privacy and technology related class actions against Facebook and other companies. However, in recent years, the firm has expanded its presence in California and has represented clients in other wildfire-related actions in California, Oregon and Colorado. The firm is also noted for its work to reveal misconduct alleged against former prominent trial lawyer, Thomas Girardi.
Other law firms that have posted online or otherwise proclaimed their intent to solicit clients and file lawsuits in connection with the wildfires - if they have not already done so - include the firms of Frantz Law Group, of San Diego; Maison Law, a personal injury firm with offices in Visalia and elsewhere in southern California; and the Dallas, Texas-based Nachawati Law Group.
According to a release, the Nachawati Law Group on Jan. 13 hosted a so-called "town hall" event in Pasadena as part of their efforts to find clients to represent in southern California for legal actions including "insurance disputes" and "compensation claims."
According to published reports, lawsuits filed against Southern California Edison have so far relied heavily on photographs supplied
The Palisades and Eaton wildfires stand as the largest natural disaster in the history of the L.A. region.
According to published reports, the fires have claimed the lives of at least 25 people, while destroying more than 12,000 buildings across 60 square miles. At least three dozen people are still considered missing.
To date, unofficial estimates have claimed the fires have caused more than $250 billion in damage.