The class action lawsuit was filed in state court in Los Angeles against Southern California Edison, a utility company that is accused of negligence for intentionally failing to trim back trees near power lines.
During high winds last month, tree branches fell on numerous power lines, sparking 3 wildfires in Los Angeles, Barbara and Ventura counties, destroying more than 1,000 buildings and killing a firefighter.
According to the class action lawsuit:
The fires were not an ‘Act of God’ but were caused by the intentional, negligent and wrongful conduct of SCE and other defendants.”
Edison confirmed that its power lines and electrical equipment is being investigated as a cause of the Thomas fire in Southern California.
There have been no official conclusions about what caused the 3 fires near Los Angeles, but hundreds of thousands of acres were burned. At least 6 people who suffered property damage have filed lawsuits.
PG&E Corp. is facing similar claims in at least 100 individual lawsuits and class actions that were filed by property owners and family members of people who died in wildfires in Northern California’s wine country. Those wildfires burned over 245,000 acres in October 2017.
The lawsuit was filed in California Superior Court (Los Angeles County) — In RE: Vitullo v. Southern California Edison — Case No. B688977.
Source: Southern California Edison Sued Over Los Angeles-Area Wildfires