The reality TV star, along with 21 others, is suing the city for “properly constructing, inspecting, maintaining, and operating the water supply system.”
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Reality TV stars and former Pacific Palisades homeowners Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, along with 21 other wildfire victims, have accused the City of Los Angeles and the LA Water Department of “Building Properly” for its failures. , sued for inspection, maintenance, operation, and operation, which contributed to the extensive damage caused by the Palisade fire and led to the plaintiffs losing their homes.
“The Palisade fire was the unavoidable and unavoidable result of the terrible failure of the Pacific Palisade and surrounding water supply system service area, including empty water reservoirs,” the incident said in a statement. “This failure was a significant factor in causing our client and others to suffer significant loss.”
Among the other plaintiffs named in the lawsuit is Janet Pratt, Spencer’s mother.
The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to Inman’s request for comment.
A civil lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court alleges that the fire was, in part, the result of a failing water system in the area. Additionally, it detailed that the Santa Ynez Reservoir, which serves the Pacific Palisades, was “completely emptied offline and emptied before the fire erupted in the area,” and firefighters said that when the fire broke out, left few resources to work with.
The reservoir was decommissioned nearly a year ago while the Palisade Fire started on January 7, 2025, pending repairs to its cover.
“Defendant Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (“LADWP”) made a conscious decision to drain its reservoirs as a ‘cost-cutting’ measure and operate an unusable water supply system,” the complaint states. “The Pacific Palisades fire hydrants failed after holding 1 million gallons of water each and drying out within 12 hours, as the Santa Ynez reservoir was effectively paying the fee.”
The complaint also cites a quote from Gus Corona, business manager of IBEW Local 18, the LADWP employee union, when speaking to the Los Angeles Times.
“It is completely unacceptable that this reservoir has been empty for almost a year for minor repairs,” Corona said. He later added: I truly believe it was avoidable. ”
The condition of the local water system, contributed by empty reservoirs, hampered firefighting efforts as the water pressure was reduced, making it unsuitable for starting a fire.
Plaintiffs seek damages at trial to include the cost of repairing, depreciation, and replacement of damaged or destroyed personal and property property, and loss of wages or business profits as a result of business interruption or evacuation. We are seeking damages in an amount to be determined. legal costs associated with litigation;
“The city of Los Angeles intentionally designed and maintained its water system in this way, even though Los Angeles was in a fire-prone area,” McNulty said. “For example, over the past 90 years, more than 30 wildfires have scorched parts of neighboring Malibu. We will hold the City of Los Angeles accountable.”
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