Malibu is preparing to sue the City and County of Los Angeles over what it describes as a series of failures that led to the January 2025 Pacific Palisades wildfire.
Malibu officials filed a civil complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court last week — the precursor to a civil lawsuit. The complaint also names the California Department of Parks and Recreation, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.
The complaint describes the fire as a “foreseeable and proximate result of unlawful conduct” by the defendants. Malibu cites empty reservoirs that had been left unfilled for more than a year, the failure to provide “essential firefighting infrastructure,” and, ultimately, the failure to fully extinguish the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Day. That smaller blaze would later rekindle and become the wildfire that engulfed the Pacific Palisades and parts of Malibu on January 7, 2025.
Malibu Mayor Bruce Silverstein said the city did not make this legal decision lightly.
“The City has an obligation to act in the best interests of our residents and taxpayers. The lawsuit seeks accountability for the extraordinary losses suffered by our community while recognizing that Malibu must continue to work collaboratively with our regional partners going forward.”
Read the full legal complaint here.