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The
couple, who rose to stardom on “The Hills," a spin-off of
“Laguna Beach,” filed the lawsuit Tuesday along with more than
20 other property owners and residents who were affected by the
Palisades Fire. The complaint blames Los Angeles and its
municipal water department for the water issues that hampered
firefighting efforts and says it ultimately led to the damage to
their properties.
The Eaton and Palisades fires, ignited by strong winds during
one of the region's driest years on record, have killed 28
people and destroyed more than 12,000 structures, putting them
among the most destructive fires in California history.
There has been intense scrutiny over hydrants running dry and
problems with water pressure, leading to a barrage of lawsuits
against the city and the Los Angeles Department of Water and
Power. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called for an
independent investigation into the LA water utility over the
issues.
The complaint filed by the couple and others mentions that the
Santa Ynez Reservoir, which services the Pacific Palisades
neighborhood, was offline and had been out of commission since
February 2024 while awaiting repairs. The hydrants in the
neighborhood were connected to three tanks that held 1 million
gallons (3.7 million liters) of water each and went dry within
12 hours, the complaint said, citing Janisse Quiñones, the water
utility's chief executive and chief engineer.
Without water from the reservoir, firefighters had to primarily
rely on the water tanks, which were not designed to fight such a
large fire, the complaint said.
The city and water utility did not immediately respond to
emailed requests for comment.
While the repairs to the reservoir were requested in January
2024, the water utility told the Los Angeles Times they would
not be completed until April or May 2025.
The lawsuit called the Palisades Fire an “inescapable and
unavoidable consequence” of the water system operated by the
city and water utility.
“The system necessarily failed, and this failure was a
substantial factor in causing Plaintiffs to suffer the losses
alleged in this complaint,” it said.
The plaintiffs cite the principle known as “ inverse
condemnation,” which is the same mechanism that requires
utilities to pay for wildfire damages caused by their equipment.
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