January 26, 2018 — The Southern California Edison power utility company has been hit with a class action lawsuit after 3 devastating wildfires near Los Angeles.
The lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of California (Los Angeles County) and accuses the power company of saving money by intentionally failing to cut back trees, creating a wildfire hazard.
High winds broke tree branches that damaged power lines, sparking wildfires in Los Angeles, Barbara and Ventura counties. Over 1,000 buildings were destroyed and a firefighter died in the inferno.
The class action lawsuit states:
“The fires were not an ‘Act of God’ but were caused by the intentional, negligent and wrongful conduct of SCE and other defendants.”
Southern California Edison has confirmed an ongoing investigation into its power lines and electrical equipment.
State officials have not yet determined what caused the wildfires, but lawsuits have already been filed by at least 6 people who had property damage. Hundreds of thousands of acres were scorched in the fires.
At least 100 similar lawsuits have been filed against PG&E, another major power utility in California, after wildfires in Northern California’s wine-producing regions burned 245,000 acres in October 2017.
The lawsuit was filed in California Superior Court (Los Angeles County) — In RE: Vitullo v. Southern California Edison — Case No. B688977.
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