Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, along with several other Pacific Palisades homeowners, have sued the city of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for damage to their properties during the Palisades fire, adding to the growing litigation against the city in the wake of the disaster.
The reality stars of “Laguna Beach” and “The Hills,” who lost their home in the fire, filed their lawsuit Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleging inverse eminent domain, a legal concept that gives homeowners a compensation for damage caused by public use.
In this case, the reality TV personalities, along with more than 20 other homeowners, renters and individuals who suffered as a result of the Palisades Fire, blamed the city and the utility's water supply and related infrastructure operation. public for causing damage to their property.
The complaint cited reports that the Santa Ynez Reservoir, the reservoir intended to serve Pacific Palisades, was offline and emptied before the fire broke out on Jan. 7. According to a Los Angeles Times report, the 117 million gallon reservoir has been out of commission for repairs since early 2024. The reservoir remains empty and DWP's head of water operations told The Times that the requested repairs “make it as soon as possible” in January 2024 would not take place until April or May. 2025.
The reservoir situation has sparked outrage against the DWP and its leadership, prompting Governor Gavin Newsom to order an investigation into the causes behind the loss of water pressure at fire hydrants, which hampered firefighting efforts. in the city. At least two other lawsuits have been filed.
Former and current DWP officials have acknowledged that if the Santa Ynez Reservoir had held water, the higher elevation areas of the Palisades would have had more water pressure, although it is unclear for how long. It's also unclear whether the reservoir would have made a significant difference in firefighters' ability to battle the flames, which burned 23,400 acres. The fire was 72% contained as of Thursday, more than two weeks after it started.
The Palisades Fire, fueled by ultra-dry weather conditions and vegetation, was aggravated by hurricane-force winds and caused 11 deaths, destroyed 6,662 structures and damaged 890. Water systems experts have said that with extreme Santa Ana winds that prevented immediate With the use of planes and helicopters, the Palisades fire was initially impossible to control. Municipal water systems are not equipped for such fires, they said.
But the Pratts and the plaintiffs blamed the DWP for making “a conscious decision to operate the water supply system with the reservoir drained and unusable as a 'cost-saving' measure,” limiting water flow to fire hydrants and tanker trucks in the area. They also accused the defendants of designing the water system for public use “in a way that it would not have sufficient water pressure to fight an urban fire.”
The complaint, obtained Thursday by The Times, alleges that the facilities, reservoir, water supply system, hydrants, infrastructure and other public improvement measures taken by the city and the utility company “presented a danger and a fire risk to private property. They also blamed the city and the utility for assuming “a known and calculated risk” that private property would be damaged and destroyed by fire.
“Upon information and belief, the Palisades Fire was an inescapable and inevitable consequence of the water supply system serving areas in and around Pacific Palisades as planned and constructed,” the complaint says. “The system necessarily failed, and this failure was a substantial factor in causing plaintiffs to suffer the losses alleged in this lawsuit.”
The damage “was caused proximately and substantially by the actions of the defendants… and each of them… caused harm to the plaintiffs,” the lawsuit says.
The defendants, who are seeking an amount of damages to be determined at trial, said they have not received adequate compensation for property that was damaged or destroyed, which the suit claims “constitutes a taking or damage of plaintiffs' property.” by the defendants, and each of them, without just compensation.”
They also want to recover the costs of repairing or replacing lost or destroyed property, any loss of wages or business profits and living expenses arising from the loss of use of their homes, plus legal costs.
Representatives of the Municipal Attorney. Hydee Feldstein Soto's office and the DWP did not immediately respond Thursday to The Times' requests for comment.
The Pratts have spoken prolifically on social media and in press interviews about what they lost in the fire and their efforts to raise money in the wake of the fire. Earlier this month, Spencer Pratt publicly called on fans to buy and stream his wife's 2010 album, “Superficial,” and elevated it to No. 1 on the iTunes chart. He also said he made a life-changing amount of money on TikTok thanks to people looking to help his family get back on their feet. A spokesperson for the couple did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, at least 20 lawsuits have been filed against Southern California Edison in connection with the Eaton Fire, which razed large swaths of Altadena while burning simultaneously with the Palisades Fire. The plaintiffs allege that evidence suggests that SCE electrical equipment started the Eaton fire.
Times staff writers Matt Hamilton and David Zahniser contributed to this report.
