City, LADWP Agree to Mediate Palisades Fire Lawsuits

Talks with thousands of fire victims are expected to begin in October, but the state is not participating.

Holly Bieler · August 27, 2026 · Pacific Palisades

The City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power have agreed to enter mediation with attorneys representing thousands of Palisades Fire victims, the [Westside Current is reporting](https://www.westsidecurrent.com/palisades_fire/palisades-fire-victims-move-toward-settlement-as-city-ladwp-agree-to-mediate-lawsuits/article_047c5827-3e89-45a9-afa2-ef04af7c8f53.html), the first formal step toward a possible settlement since the fire destroyed much of Pacific Palisades in January 2025.

The State of California, which faces separate claims over the earlier Lachman Fire, has not agreed to participate.

The first talks are expected to begin in early October, according to plaintiffs' attorney Alexander "Trey" Robertson and Palisades advocate Jeremy Padawer, who announced the development on Instagram. Mediation does not determine fault or guarantee any payout, but it gives victims' lawyers a formal setting to press the city and the utility over the decisions made before and during the fire.

"It's never too late to be accountable; if Bass is willing to be accountable now in the late hour, people will notice," Padawer told the Westside Current. "I think it could change the way certain people perceive her as a leader."

The lawsuits accuse LADWP of failing to maintain and prepare its water system for wildfire conditions, including the Santa Ynez Reservoir, which was empty when the fire broke out. Plaintiffs say water tanks ran dry and hydrants lost pressure as the fire moved through the Palisades. They also allege LADWP poles failed in the high winds and that energized lines fell into vegetation, potentially igniting additional fires.

The city is separately accused of letting brush grow on vacant lots it owned in Pacific Palisades, where plaintiffs say embers landed and sparked a spot fire.

The claims against the state stem from the Lachman Fire, which began Jan. 1, 2025, on land managed by California State Parks. Plaintiffs allege it was never fully extinguished and that heat or embers remained until the Palisades Fire ignited days later in powerful winds. An ATF affidavit cited in the city's filing found the Palisades Fire was a "holdover" from the Lachman Fire, though that finding does not settle the civil cases. Both the city and the state deny liability.