Reality TV stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt have sued the city of Los Angeles and its Department of Water and Power over damage caused by the Palisades fire.
“The Hills” stars banded together with more than 20 other Pacific Palisades residents, filing a suit Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The suit alleged that the city’s water supply system failed its residents.
“On information and belief, the Palisades Fire was an inescapable and
unavoidable consequence of the water supply system servicing areas in and around Pacific Palisades as it was planned and constructed,” the lawsuit read. “The system necessarily failed, and this failure was a substantial factor in causing Plaintiffs to suffer the losses alleged in this Complaint.”
The plaintiffs are suing for an undetermined amount from the city, but they will have to prove how the city’s water system caused damage to the property. The “inverse condemnation” suit also demands a jury trial.
The lawsuit specifically outlined how Santa Ynez Reservoir was “completely offline and emptied before the fires erupted in the area.” The plaintiffs also alleged that fire hydrants in Pacific Palisades “failed after three tanks
each holding one million gallons of water went dry within a span of 12 hours.”
Pratt has been vocal on social media about his family’s loss during the fires, even promoting his wife’s music on TikTok to bring the family revenue during the difficult time. Both Pratt and his parents lost their homes in the Palisades fire. His parents are also plaintiffs in the suit.
This case is one of many inverse condemnation cases that have been filed against the city. In total, the L.A. wildfires have burned just over 50,000 acres since they began on Jan. 7. Additionally, at least 28 people have been killed and more than 15,798 structures have been destroyed. While the Eaton fire is nearly contained at 95% after burning 14,021 acres, the Palisades fire has now reached 23,448 acres at 72% containment.
Analysts have estimated that this is the costliest fire in American history, with estimates of around $250 billion.
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