Lloyd’s of London is suing the city of Los Angeles, seeking compensation for money paid to one of its insurance customers who suffered significant structural and personal property damage during the 2019 Getty Fire.
The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleges the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power failed to take steps that could have prevented one of its electrical lines from coming into contact with a eucalyptus tree branch that broke free during Santa Ana winds, starting the fire about 1:30 a.m. Oct. 28, 2019, in the 1800 block of North Sepulveda Boulevard.
Ultimately, the nine-day Getty Fire burned 745 acres and damaged or destroyed dozens of properties, according to the suit filed Tuesday, alleging inverse condemnation, public and private nuisance and dangerous condition of public property. Lloyd’s seeks unspecified damages.
“It is well known that the combination of seasonal Santa Ana winds and the drought, or drought-like conditions, are known to create conditions conducive to the ignition of and rapid, devastating spread of catastrophic fire,” the suit states.
A representative for the City Attorney’s Office could not be immediately reached for comment.
Lloyd’s insured BW Partners, which owned a home and personal property on Tigertrail Road at the time of the fire, according to the lawsuit.
The DWP failed to properly manage the vegetation near its high-voltage electrical transmission lines in the area where the blaze started, including trimming the eucalyptus tree that played a role in the fire’s ignition, the suit alleges.
In 2015, San Diego removed all eucalyptus trees from one of its parks after a number of injuries, death and incidents of property damage occurred because of branch and trunk failures, according to the insurer’s court papers.
“Eucalyptus trees have earned the nickname `widow maker’ for this reason,” the suit states.
The Lloyd’s customer could not stop the structures from burning nor could any personal possessions or “irreplaceable heirlooms” be removed in time, according to the suit.
“In minutes, these valuable items were gone forever,” the complaint says.
Lloyd’s is entitled to recover all litigation costs, expenses and interest related to the customer’s property, including attorneys’ fees, the suit states.