Southern California Edison sought to avoid trial on a key Eaton Fire liability claim by pointing to a transmission tower’s decades of inactivity. A judge rejected that argument, keeping the claim over the devastating fire headed for trial.
Here’s what to know
Negligence need not be established for a utility to face liability for property damage caused by its equipment under California’s doctrine of “inverse condemnation,” according to Insurance Business. Superior Court Judge Laura Seigle rejected Edison’s request to bar that doctrine from the case.
The Eaton Fire burned near Pasadena in January 2025, claiming 19 lives and leaving over 9,000 homes and businesses damaged or destroyed, Insurance Business reported. The blaze scorched 14,000 acres, making it the Los Angeles area’s most destructive fire.
The first jury trial on whether inverse condemnation applies is set for late January.
More background
The Los Angeles County Fire Department identified an out-of-service transmission tower on a dry hillside as the ignition site. According to Insurance Business, the department’s report, released in early August, attributed the fire to electrical arcing there…