Reality TV couple sues the city of Los Angeles after losing home in fires

Spencer Pratt, left, and Heidi Montag pose backstage at the 3rd Annual Reality TV Awards at the Avalon Hollywood, May 13, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File)

LOS ANGELES — Reality TV couple Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are suing the city of Los Angeles after losing their Pacific Palisades home in the wildfires that have torn through Southern California in recent weeks.

The couple, who rose to stardom on “The Hills,” a spin-off of “Laguna Beach,” filed the lawsuit Tuesday along with more than 20 other property owners and residents who were affected by the Palisades Fire. The complaint blames Los Angeles and its municipal water department for the water issues that hampered firefighting efforts and says it ultimately led to the damage to their properties.

The Eaton and Palisades fires, ignited by strong winds during one of the region’s driest years on record, have killed 28 people and destroyed more than 12,000 structures, putting them among the most destructive fires in California history.

There has been intense scrutiny over hydrants running dry and problems with water pressure, leading to a barrage of lawsuits against the city and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called for an independent investigation into the LA water utility over the issues.

The complaint filed by the couple and others mentions that the Santa Ynez Reservoir, which services the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, was offline and had been out of commission since February 2024 while awaiting repairs. The hydrants in the neighborhood were connected to three tanks that held 1 million gallons (3.7 million liters) of water each and went dry within 12 hours, the complaint said, citing Janisse Quiñones, the water utility’s chief executive and chief engineer.

Without water from the reservoir, firefighters had to primarily rely on the water tanks, which were not designed to fight such a large fire, the complaint said.

The city and water utility did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.

While the repairs to the reservoir were requested in January 2024, the water utility told the Los Angeles Times they would not be completed until April or May 2025.

The lawsuit called the Palisades Fire an “inescapable and unavoidable consequence” of the water system operated by the city and water utility.

“The system necessarily failed, and this failure was a substantial factor in causing Plaintiffs to suffer the losses alleged in this complaint,” it said.

The plaintiffs cite the principle known as “ inverse condemnation,” which is the same mechanism that requires utilities to pay for wildfire damages caused by their equipment.

Jaimie Ding, The Associated Press