4t PALISADES INFERNO LAWSUIT: Victims Slam Newsom & California for “Gross Negligence” in Blaze That Torched 7,000 Homes.
The Santa Ana winds howled like banshees through the canyons of Pacific Palisades on January 7, 2025, but the real fury ignited six days earlier—on New Year’s Eve, when a small brush fire dubbed the Lachman blaze was hastily declared contained in Topanga State Park. What followed was catastrophe: a rekindled inferno that swallowed 23,000 acres, razed over 6,800 structures, claimed 12 lives, and displaced thousands in one of Los Angeles’ most affluent enclaves. Now, a coalition of 3,300 survivors—led by high-profile plaintiffs like reality TV star Spencer Pratt—is hauling Governor Gavin Newsom and the State of California into court, wielding a hiker’s shaky cellphone video as their “smoking gun.” The accusation? Gross negligence that turned embers into apocalypse.
The lawsuit, filed October 28 in Los Angeles Superior Court, paints a damning portrait of bureaucratic blindness. Attorneys Alexander “Trey” Robertson and his co-counsel argue that state park rangers failed to conduct basic patrols or deploy thermal imaging on the burn scar, despite National Weather Service alerts blaring “critical fire conditions” and “life-threatening” Santa Ana gusts up to 80 mph. The video in question, captured by an anonymous hiker on January 5, shows wisps of smoke curling from the Lachman site—two days after officials signed off on containment. “It’s still smoldering,” the footage’s timestamped narration pleads, echoing 911 calls that went unheeded. Plaintiffs claim this oversight, compounded by skipped inspections and ignored forecasts, allowed hot spots to fester into the Palisades Fire—a blaze so ferocious it overwhelmed hydrants drained by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s (LADWP) reservoir mismanagement.
For victims like Pratt, whose multimillion-dollar home in the hills vanished overnight, the suit isn’t just about dollars—it’s about accountability. “Gavin Newsom desperately wants you to move on,” Pratt blasted on Instagram after the October 8 arrest of alleged arsonist Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old Uber driver accused of sparking the initial Lachman Fire using ChatGPT-generated plans. Pratt, who relocated to Santa Barbara with wife Heidi Montag, insists the criminal act doesn’t absolve the state: “They allowed a fire to smolder for a week without mitigation. This is precisely why Newsom and California are culpable.” Joined by two dozen other homeowners in a parallel LADWP suit filed in January, Pratt’s FAIR Plan insurance payout of $1 million barely scratches the surface of rebuilding costs, leaving families in limbo.
Newsom’s camp fires back with deflection. A spokesperson labeled the claims “baseless political opportunism,” pinning primary responsibility on the Los Angeles County Fire Department for monitoring Topanga State Park. The governor, who predeployed firefighting assets statewide, ordered an investigation into hydrant failures but stopped short of admitting state fault. “We’ll look at the facts,” Newsom told reporters post-arrest, a line echoed in his office’s rejection of the litigation. Critics, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, smell blood: “Newsom may be criminally responsible for dismantling wildfire defenses,” she tweeted in January, amplifying calls for federal probes.
The human toll defies statistics. Only 620 of the 7,000 obliterated homes have been rebuilt, per city records, stranding survivors in FEMA trailers amid toxic ash clouds that spiked PM2.5 levels to “unhealthy” AQI thresholds. Stories pour in: a single mother sifting through charred family photos; retirees bankrupted by FAIR’s skimpy coverage; Pratt’s parents, uninsured, left with nothing but grief. “This isn’t closure,” Pratt seethed after Rinderknecht’s DOJ indictment. “It’s proof our leaders failed us.”
Legally, the plaintiffs face steep hurdles. California’s government code shields fire departments from negligence suits, forcing focus on inverse condemnation laws that hold entities liable for property damage from public works failures—like unmonitored state land or drained reservoirs. Robertson’s team seeks billions in compensatory damages, arguing the state’s inaction violated its duty to protect. Yet the arson angle complicates matters; juries may pin blame solely on the criminal, diluting negligence claims.
As trial looms, the Palisades lawsuit transcends courtrooms—it’s a referendum on California’s wildfire crisis. With climate-fueled blazes scorching the state yearly, victims demand more than apologies: proactive land management, robust water infrastructure, and leaders who prioritize prevention over politics. Newsom, eyeing national ambitions, can’t afford a loss. For the displaced, victory means rebuilding lives from ashes. In the canyons where embers once slept, the fight for justice burns on.
