Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag are suing the City of Los Angeles and the Department of Water and Power (LADWP) after the couple lost their $2.5 million home in the Pacific Palisades fire.
The pair have alleged in the lawsuit, which was filed in California's Superior Court in Los Angeles County on Tuesday (21.01.25), that the fire was "an inescapable and unavoidable consequence" due to how the area's water supply was managed, and they accuse the LADWP of "failing to maintain an adequate water supply system to fight the blazes".
One of the claims made by the couple includes "delays in in repairing the Santa Ynez Reservoir, leaving the massive water storage complex in the heart of the Palisades empty for nearly a year."
Spencer and Heidi and 20 other homeowners, including Spencer's mother Janet Pratt, are part of the lawsuit, which faults the LADWP for emptying the Santa Ynez Reservoir prior to the fires beginning earlier this month.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the complaint alleges: "This stated public purpose was far outweighed by the substantial risk posed to Pacific Palisades by wildfires.
"The degree of damage that resulted from the Palisades Fire far outweighed any benefit that could have been realized by outsourcing and delaying repairs."
The lawsuit also "alleges inverse condemnation, which allows property owners to seek compensation over damages caused by public use", and is seeking "unspecified damages".
Governor of California Gavin Newsom has ordered an investigation into the fire water supply that Los Angeles firefighters had access to.
On January 10th, he wrote on X: "I am calling for an independent investigation into the loss of water pressure to local fire hydrants and the reported unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir.
"We need answers to ensure this does not happen again and we have every resource available to fight these catastrophic fires."
