LOS ANGELES — Reality TV couple Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are taking legal action against the city of Los Angeles following the loss of their Pacific Palisades residence in the recent Southern California wildfires.
The couple, who became famous through “The Hills,” a spin-off of “Laguna Beach,” initiated the lawsuit on Tuesday with over 20 other affected property owners and residents of the Palisades Fire area. The lawsuit alleges that Los Angeles, along with its municipal water department, is at fault for water supply issues that hindered firefighting operations, leading to extensive property damage.
Starting due to intense winds in one of the region’s driest periods on record, the Eaton and Palisades fires have claimed the lives of 28 individuals and wiped out over 12,000 structures, marking them as some of the most devastating wildfires in California’s history.
There has been intense scrutiny over hydrants running dry and problems with water pressure, leading to a barrage of lawsuits against the city and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called for an independent investigation into the LA water utility over the issues.
The complaint filed by the couple and others mentions that the Santa Ynez Reservoir, which services the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, was offline and had been out of commission since February 2024 while awaiting repairs. The hydrants in the neighborhood were connected to three tanks that held 1 million gallons (3.7 million liters) of water each and went dry within 12 hours, the complaint said, citing Janisse Quiñones, the water utility’s chief executive and chief engineer.
Without water from the reservoir, firefighters had to primarily rely on the water tanks, which were not designed to fight such a large fire, the complaint said.
The city and water utility did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.
While the repairs to the reservoir were requested in January 2024, the water utility told the Los Angeles Times they would not be completed until April or May 2025.
The lawsuit called the Palisades Fire an “inescapable and unavoidable consequence” of the water system operated by the city and water utility.
“The system necessarily failed, and this failure was a substantial factor in causing Plaintiffs to suffer the losses alleged in this complaint,” it said.
The plaintiffs cite the principle known as ” inverse condemnation,” which is the same mechanism that requires utilities to pay for wildfire damages caused by their equipment.
Copyright © 2025 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
