Keller Rohrback has filed a lawsuit against electric utility company Southern California Edison (SCE) for its alleged role in causing the devastating January 2025 Eaton Canyon Wildfire near Los Angeles. The suit is brought on behalf of survivors of the blaze in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles, and alleges that the utility failed to properly maintain and de-energize its powerlines in the face of unprecedented high winds and extremely dry conditions, leading to the ignition of the second-most destructive wildfire in California history. 

The inferno grew quickly and consumed more than 14,000 acres, destroying nearly 10,000 structures including homes and businesses in the close-knit community of Altadena, and tragically claiming 17 lives. The speed at which the flames moved through Altadena forced the evacuation of thousands, many without warning. “SCE knew the extreme fire danger its powerlines posed yet failed to take basic precautions. Utilities regularly shut off power in high-risk conditions, but they chose not to—gambling with lives, homes, and communities,” said Matthew Preusch, Keller Rohrback partner and attorney for the plaintiffs.

Because of the wildfire risk that the transmission and distribution of electricity poses, electrical utility providers like SCE have a duty to properly design, construct, monitor, inspect, repair, maintain, and operate their electrical infrastructure and equipment. The utilities know, from decades of experience, that windstorms and dry conditions make fires more likely to start, more destructive, and more difficult to stop. In the Eaton Canyon Wildfire, failsafe measures were allegedly ignored to the detriment of fire prevention or a rapid and effective response.

Will Dreher, one of the Keller Rohrback partners representing the plaintiffs, said “This lawsuit is about justice—ensuring that SoCal Edison take responsibility for the devastation it caused to victims."