Add Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag to the growing list of Pacific Palisades homeowners who have filed lawsuits against Los Angeles for damage to their properties caused by the city’s historic wildfires.
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Pratt and Montag accuse the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power of failing to maintain an adequate water supply system to fight the fires. They point to delays in repairing the Santa Ynez Reservoir, leaving the massive water storage complex in the heart of the Palisades empty for nearly a year.
The house owned by reality TV stars The hills was one of more than 6,500 structures razed by the Palisades fire. To ease the financial toll of the fires, Pratt urged his supporters to stream Montag’s 2010 album. Superficialwhich reached the top spot on iTunes for albums and songs earlier this month.
Pratt and Montag, joined by 20 other owners in their lawsuit, blame LADWP for draining the Santa Ynez Reservoir before the fire broke out on Jan. 7, allegedly to solicit bids from contractors rather than appeal to internal personnel to repair it.
“This stated public purpose was far outweighed by the substantial risk that wildfires pose to Pacific Palisades,” the complaint states. “The extent of the damage caused by the Palisades Fire far outweighed the benefits that could have been achieved by contracting and delaying repairs. »
With the reservoir out of service, fire hydrants in the area failed after three reservoirs, each holding 1 million gallons of water, ran dry within a 12-hour period. Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered an investigation into the causes of water supply problems, which have hampered firefighting efforts.
City officials have faced widespread criticism over their wildfire preparedness. Gus Corona, business manager for IBEW Local 18, the union for LADWP employees, decried the delay in implementing needed repairs to the water system. “It is completely unacceptable that this tank was left empty for almost a year for minor repairs.” Corona told the Los Angeles Times. “This work should have been done in-house, and they should not have depended on a contractor to do it; I sincerely believe that this is something that could have been avoided.
Mark Pestrella, Los Angeles County’s public works director, said the hydrant system alone was “not designed to fight wildfires.”
The Palisades Fire was an “unavoidable and unavoidable consequence of the water system serving the areas in and around Pacific Palisades as it was planned and constructed,” the complaint states.
The lawsuit claims reverse condemnation, which allows property owners to seek compensation for damages caused by public use. She is seeking unspecified damages.
As wildfires continue to rage in Los Angeles, several homeowners have also sued Southern California Edison for failing to take appropriate steps to mitigate the risk of its lines sparking a fire. Others, like Montag and Pratt, also sued LADWP, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
