1st class action targets SoCal Edison over Eaton Fire

In what appears to be the first putative class action filed in connection with the January fires in Los Angeles County, DiCello Levitt LLP accused Southern California Edison of failing to maintain its grid and failing to shut down its high-voltage transmission lines in Eaton Canyon during dangerous weather conditions on the night the wildfires began.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, is among the latest in a long string of cases that have been filed against the utility arising from the conflagrations that began Jan. 7.

Steven M. Jodlowski, who signed the complaint, said in a phone interview Thursday, "Whether these cases are pled as individual or class cases, in the end they are going to be litigated collectively."

The complaint claims the same half-dozen or so causes of action against Edison as scores of single-plaintiff lawsuits, including negligence, inverse condemnation and violations of Public Utilities Code Section 2106 and Health and Safety Code Section 13007.

The plaintiff seeks to represent all people or entities that suffered economic losses or property damage as a result of the Eaton Fire.

The plaintiff also seeks to represent a subclass of property owners and lessees in Los Angeles County and surrounding communities who were subject to the evacuation and shelter-in-place orders issued as a result of the Eaton Fire. Chambers, et al., v. Southern California Edison Co., 25STCV04246 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed Feb. 18, 2025).

The class comprises "several thousand" individuals, according to the firm's preliminary estimates, Jodlowski said.

"There may be victims who want to pursue individual claims, as those represented by others," Jodlowski said. "However, given the extent of the damage and number of victims, this tragedy calls out for a collective remedy. There are a variety of class-wide mechanisms to fully compensate [plaintiffs] for the economic and property damages incurred."

R. Rex Parris, who heads Parris Law Firm in Lancaster, said one of the benefits of a class action is in the statute of limitations.

Mass torts in California typically have a two-year statute of limitations. Class actions typically have a four-year statute of limitations.

Still, he questioned the advantages of a class action for Eaton Canyon, having filed an individual case with more or less the same causes of action in January.

"I don't see how they get to class certification," R. Rex Parris said. "How do you assess damages on a classwide basis?"

Dozens of lawsuits have been filed against Southern California Edison over its alleged role in the Eaton Canyon wildfires that devastated Altadena, with more expected. All but one of those cases are stayed pending a case management conference in March.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Laura A. Seigle, who is presiding over the Eaton Canyon wildfire litigation, ordered the parties on Tuesday to come up with a proposed stipulated order that balances plaintiffs' request that Southern California Edison preserve equipment and evidence that could indicate its culpability in the the wildfires, and Edison's efforts to restore power to its customers.