Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, along with several other Pacific Palisades property owners, are suing the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power over property damage caused by the Palisades Fire. The lawsuit against the city continues to grow. The aftermath of a disaster.
“Laguna Beach” and “The Hills” reality stars who lost their homes in the fire filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court seeking a reverse condemnation (which gives property owners compensation for damages caused by public use) legal concept).
In this case, the reality TV personality, along with more than 20 other property owners, tenants, and individuals who suffered damage as a result of the Palisades fire, claims that the city and public utilities’ water and related infrastructure operations caused damage to their homes. accused of giving it away. properties.
The complaint cites reports that the Santa Ynez Reservoir, which was scheduled to serve the Pacific Palisades, had been shut down and emptied before the Jan. 7 fire. The 117 million gallon reservoir had been shut down for repairs since early 2024, the Los Angeles Times reported. The reservoir remained empty, and DWP’s water operations director told the Times in January that he had requested repairs “as soon as possible.” 2024 will not be completed until April or May of 2025.
The situation at the reservoir has sparked outrage at the DWP and its leadership, with Gov. Gavin Newsom ordering an investigation into why low water pressure at hydrants has hampered firefighting efforts in the city. At least two other lawsuits have been filed.
Former and current DWP officials acknowledge that if the Santa Ynez Reservoir had been filled with water, there would have been more water pressure in the high-elevation areas of the Palisades, but how much? The period is unknown. It’s also unclear whether the reservoir made a meaningful difference in firefighters’ ability to fight the blaze, which has burned 23,400 acres. The fire was 72% contained as of Thursday, more than two weeks after it started.
The Palisades Fire, caused by ultra-dry weather conditions and vegetation and exacerbated by hurricane-force winds, killed 11 people, destroyed 6,662 structures, and damaged 890. Water system experts said Santa Ana’s extreme winds prevented any immediate fires. Even with the use of planes and helicopters, the Palisades fire was initially uncontrollable. The city’s water system is not equipped to handle such fires, he said.
However, the Platts and the plaintiffs allege that DWP made “a conscious decision to operate the water system with reservoirs drained and rendered unusable as a ‘cost-cutting’ measure” and to use fire hydrants and tankers in the area. accused of restricting the flow of water. They also accused the defendants of designing public water systems “in a manner that did not provide sufficient water pressure to fight urban fires.”
The complaint, obtained Thursday by the Times, says the facilities, reservoirs, water systems, fire hydrants, infrastructure and other public improvements taken by the city and utilities “created inherent hazards and fire hazards on private property.” claims. They also accused the city and the utility of taking a “known and calculated risk” that private property would be damaged and destroyed by the fire.
“According to information and belief, the Palisades Fire was an unavoidable and unavoidable result of the proposed and constructed water supply system serving the area in and around Pacific Palisades,” the complaint states. are. “The system inevitably failed, and this failure was a significant contributing factor to Plaintiffs incurring the losses alleged in this complaint.”
The complaint states that the damages were “directly and materially caused by the conduct of the Defendants, and each of the Defendants caused damages to the Plaintiff.”
The defendants are seeking an award of damages in court, stating that they have not received adequate compensation for the property damaged or destroyed, which the complaint states “constitutes the taking or damage of the plaintiff’s property by the defendants.” , and without just compensation to each.”
They also want to recover the costs of repairing or replacing lost or destroyed property, lost wages and business profits, living expenses resulting from the inability to use your home, and even legal costs.
Representative of City Atty. Heidi Feldstein Soto’s office and DWP did not immediately respond to the Times’ request for comment Thursday.
The Platts have been vocal on social media and in news interviews about what they lost in the fire and their fundraising efforts in the aftermath. Earlier this month, Spencer Pratt publicly appealed to fans to buy and stream his wife’s 2010 album “Superficial,” which debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes charts. He also said he has made “life-changing” amounts of money on TikTok from individuals trying to help their families recover. A spokesperson for the couple did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Meanwhile, at least 20 lawsuits have been filed against Southern California Edison related to the Eaton Fire, which occurred at the same time as the Palisades Fire and destroyed large areas of Altadena. Plaintiffs claim there is evidence that the Eaton fire was caused by SCE’s electrical equipment.
Times staff writers Matt Hamilton and David Zahnizer contributed to this report.
