MALIBU—On February 18, the city of Malibu filed a civil complaint against Los Angeles, the state of California, and government agencies, and in this lawsuit, the city is seeking to recover $250 billion in damages it lost due to the Palisades Fire.
In the complaint, the city of Malibu argues that the fire and the damage it did to Malibu could have been prevented.
According to the civil complaint, which is available on the city’s website, the agencies being sued include the California Department of Parks and Recreation, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation, and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.
In addition, in the civil complaint, the city of Malibu claims that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was warned in 2025 that a forest fire could pose a threat to Los Angeles County. Per the civil complaint, the department and the city are accused of failing to maintain the necessary infrastructure to fight such a fire and of leaving the reservoirs empty. According to the complaint. the Santa Ynez Reservoir’s cover was not repaired after a tear was found in it two years ago.
Per the complaint the state of California failed to ensure that the embers left behind by the Lachman Fire was fully extinguished.
Through the lawsuit, the city of Malibu is seeking to recover from the city of Los Angeles, the state of California, and the state and local agencies named in the suit compensation for the damage caused by the fire that ravaged the Pacific Palisades region, Malibu, along with compensation for the city’s effort to restore the local environment and loss revenue from local taxes. The city of Malibu is also seeking a jury trial.
The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The city is being represented by the law firm of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP.
The full complaint filed by the city of Malibu can be viewed on the city’s website.
