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Malibu surfside news | February 14, 2019 | 3
Edison, Boeing named in
new Woolsey Fire lawsuit
Dozens of plaintiffs
sue companies over
‘wholly preventable’
disaster
Lauren Coughlin, Editor
Litigation is piling up
in regard to the Woolsey
Fire, which a recent lawsuit
deems “negligently started
and wholly preventable.”
The lawsuit was filed
Feb. 5 on behalf of 90
plaintiffs — some of whom
also represent their children
— who were impacted by
the fire. It alleges that negligence
as well as violations
of the California Health
and Safety Code by Southern
California Edison, Edison
International and The
Boeing Company led to the
catastrophic, 96,949-acre
wildfire. It also alleges that
SCE violated the California
Public Utilities Code.
Attorney Ronald L.M.
Goldman, of Los Angelesbased
Baum Hedlund Aristei
& Goldman, is among
the five attorneys who filed
the lawsuit.
“Despite obvious and
predictable signs and warnings
of extreme fire conditions,
[SCE and Boeing]
failed to act to control their
property and protect adjoining
and other property,”
the lawsuit states, referencing
Boeing’s Santa Susana
Field Laboratory site
in Simi Valley and SCE’s
Chatsworth substation.
SCE, the lawsuit states,
failed to maintain its overhead
electrical facilities
in a safe manner, perform
vegetation management in
accordance with applicable
regulations, and proactively
shut down the Big Rock
16kV circuit to prevent the
fire.
Boeing, it adds, also
failed to perform vegetation
management as well as
failed “to have an adequate
fire prevention program or
have adequately trained fire
suppression personnel in
place to prevent the types
of fires that were reasonably
anticipated [in dry,
Santa Ana conditions].”
The lawsuit further alleges
that the burning of
Boeing’s SSFL site and
Rocketdyne rocket debris
areas “[put] Southern Californians
at additional risk
of damages and complicated,
long-lasting health
issues.”
C.J. Nothum, of the communications
department at
Boeing, stated that: “Security
and fire personnel stationed
at Santa Susana immediately
responded when
the fire was first reported
and also promptly notified
firefighting agencies. Upon
arrival, the county and municipal
fire jurisdictions
established incident command
over the firefighting
activities.”
The lawsuit tells a different
story, stating that Boeing
allowed the fire to move
across its property, and
that Boeing’s “firefighting
efforts were reportedly
wholly absent, including
an insufficient supply of
water.” Those details were
attributed to a Los Angeles
Times article in which
officials from the Ventura
County Fire Department
stated that they did not see
or communicate with Boeing
firefighters.
Nothum added that Boeing
is fully cooperating
with two investigations into
the fire, which are being
conducted by the California
Department of Forestry and
Fire Protection (also known
as Cal Fire), as well as the
California Public Utilities
Commission.
Cal Fire, along with the
Ventura County Fire Department,
are charged with
determining the cause of
the Woolsey Fire. Last
month, Scott Dettorre, a
public information officer
with the VCFD, told
the Surfside that the cause
is not expected to be announced
until “sometime
this summer.”
Southern California Edison
also weighed in on the
lawsuit, releasing the following
statement on Feb.
7: “At this time, SCE is
not commenting on any
lawsuits associated with
the Woolsey Fire, as an
ongoing investigation is
underway by Cal Fire and
Ventura County Fire. SCE
is fully cooperating in their
investigation.”
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit
include property owners,
renters and business owners,
all of whom “suffered
varying types of injuries,
damages, losses, and harm
as a result of the Woolsey
Fire,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit seeks reimbursement
of costs related
to property damages, living
expenses, business interruption,
injuries and damages,
and legal fees.
The Woolsey Fire began
at E Street and Alfa Road
on the Santa Susana Field
Lab property. It destroyed
1,500 structures and damaged
341 structures, including
hundreds in the City
of Malibu. The fire also is
responsible for the deaths
of three civilians and the
injuries of three firefighters
between Nov. 8, 2018 and
Nov. 21, 2018.
Other litigation
For some in Southern
California, the latest string
of lawsuits may bring about
deja vu.
The Thomas Fire, which
destroyed 1,063 structures
Please see lawsuit, 14
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