Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
The city of Los Angeles has agreed to accept $400,000 from the developer of an apartment complex in settlement of what had been a $20 million lawsuit arising out of a 2014 fire. The fire destroyed the seven-story Da Vinci Apartment complex that was under construction at the time. It also damaged nearby buildings and Interstate 110.
The City claimed it sustained over $80 million in damages in the fire including “damages due to the firefighting activities necessary to put out the fire and prevent it from spreading to other properties.” It sued the developer Geoffrey H. Palmer and several of his business entities in 2016 for roughly $20 million that was not covered by insurance,
Yesterday, the City Council voted to accept the $400,000 settlement. A spokesman for the City Attorney’s office, Rob Wilcox, was quoted as saying the $400,000 was “an excellent result for the city” given that its total losses ended up being less than earlier estimates. Wilcox said “We’re pleased that beyond the nearly $62 million paid by the insurance carrier, the city recovered $400,000 from the developer.”
