Deborah J. Fox

Litigation

Los Angeles

Deborah Fox is a seasoned attorney with a career spanning 40 years and serves as a principal at Meyers Nave. She also leads the firm's trial and litigation and crisis management practice groups. Her expertise lies in constitutional litigation, land use and zoning.

"I love the intellectual challenge of constitutional work and public law where you are making a difference in people's lives and their communities," Fox said.

Fox's notable work includes defending Santa Barbara County against Southern California Edison following the devastating 2017 Thomas wildfire and Montecito debris flow, which were started by Edison.

The aftermath saw more than 5,000 homeowners suing Edison, leading to settlements. However, Edison attempted to shift its liability onto public entities, including Santa Barbara County, marking a first in wildfire litigation where a company seeks to blame public entities and reallocate the costs of wildfire litigation.

Despite Edison's efforts to maintain secrecy and hold a secret trial, Fox and her team achieved significant victories in early April 2024. They secured wins on three dispositive motions, effectively dismissing over $1 billion worth of claims, with a judgment in favor of the County of Santa Barbara to follow.

"The litigation on behalf of County of Santa Barbara was significant in the amount at stake -- over $1 billion dollars and the novel issues at play wherein Southern Ca. Edison was seeking to recast the costs of wildfire litigation by its action for indemnity," Fox said. "The dispositive motion that we filed was the subject of five separate hearings and spanned six months. Edison acknowledged that it was a test case for this approach of redistributing the massive costs of wildfire damages."

She said one of the main challenges was addressing very complicated legal issues in a novel legal setting while opposing counsel was "uber aggressive in its litigation strategy."

"The motion for summary judgment mandated three Bekins boxes of exhibits and various settlement agreements that had to be filed under seal," Fox said.

Furthermore, Fox has been entrusted with the defense of the county of Maui in relation to the 2023 Maui Wildfires. This complex litigation involves more than 200 cases, several class actions, thousands of plaintiffs, and numerous defendants across state and federal courts. Fox's legal acumen and dedication to justice have established her as a formidable figure in the field of law.