Boeing named as defendant in latest suit over fire that devastated Malibu

LOS ANGELES -- Another negligence lawsuit filed Tuesday over the Woolsey Fire accuses Boeing Co. of liability for the blaze.

The state court claim filed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Strange & Butler and Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman P.C. alleges Southern California Edison Co.'s poorly maintained equipment sparked the fire at the Boeing-owned Santa Susana Field Laboratory.

Boeing failed to properly maintain vegetation around the facility, as it was required to do, the plaintiffs allege. LaPlante v. Southern California Edison, 19STCV03419 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed Feb. 5, 2019).

Boeing and SoCalEdison knew of the hazardous conditions in the area but disregarded the risk. Warnings by the California Public Utilities Commission to shut off power grids in the days leading up to the strong winds went unheeded by the utility, according to the suit.

Boeing specifically was to provide fire protection and firefighting services to the property, which is under a remediation effort from a nuclear meltdown, the lawsuit alleges.

"Once the fire started, proper vegetation management and a well-trained and equipped fire suppression unit on the Boeing property may have been able to prevent the rapid spread of the fire," Diane Marger Moore of Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman said in a statement.

Representatives of the aircraft manufacturer said fire personnel stationed at Santa Susana immediately responded when the fire was reported.

"Upon arrival, the county and municipal fire jurisdictions established incident command over the firefighting activities. Cal-Fire is conducting an investigation into the origins of the fire. The California Public Utilities Commission is also conducting an investigation. Boeing is fully cooperating with these investigations," the company said in a statement.

Kennedy, a Malibu resident and co-counsel in the case, said in a statement that "the Woolsey Fire was not just foreseeable or predictable, it was inevitable. SCE and Boeing's failure to prevent this disaster was reckless misconduct."

The lawsuit seeks damages on behalf of Malibu area property owners. Causes of action include negligence, inverse condemnation, trespass, nuisance and other claims.