Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag have filed a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles and its Department of Water and Power (LADWP) after their home was destroyed in the Palisades wildfire.
Spencer, 41, and Heidi, 38, are among nearly two dozen plaintiffs in the legal action, which also includes Spencer’s mother, Janet Pratt. The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, January 21.
On Thursday, January 23, it was reported that the plaintiffs are accusing the city of Los Angeles and the water department of mismanaging the water supply, leading to what they describe as “an inescapable and unavoidable consequence.”
The lawsuit claims, “LADWP and City of Los Angeles had a duty to properly construct, inspect, maintain, and operate its water supply system.”
The plaintiffs argue that “The Palisades Fire was an inescapable and unavoidable consequence of the water supply system operated by LADWP and City of Los Angeles as it was planned and constructed. The system necessarily failed, and this failure was a substantial factor in causing Plaintiffs to suffer the losses alleged in this Complaint.”
The suit also highlights that the city’s water department “made the conscious decision to operate the water supply system with the reservoir drained and unusable as a ‘cost-saving’ measure.”
The Santa Ynez Reservoir is central to the lawsuit, which claims that the reservoir has been out of service since February 2024 and has been awaiting repairs.
With the Santa Ynez Reservoir effectively out of commission, the suit asserts, hydrants in Pacific Palisades failed after three tanks, each holding one million gallons of water, ran dry within just 12 hours.
Spencer’s sister, Stephanie Pratt, shared the news of the couple losing their home in the fire via an Instagram post on January 7. She expressed her devastation over the loss.
“Honestly looking for advice. I’m frozen in shock. How horrible for my sweet little nephews to watch their house disappear like this. They must be so scared and confused,” she wrote, accompanying a photo of the fire. Spencer and Heidi, who married in November 2008, have two sons, Gunner, 6, and Ryker, 13 months.
Stephanie later posted an Instagram Story to elaborate on the situation, writing, “I am beyond heartbroken for my brother, Heidi & the kids,” alongside a photo of Spencer watching the fire. “Just spoke to my dad- he tried to save my brother’s house but the wind is so strong there was nothing he could do.”
In addition to the destruction of Spencer and Heidi’s home, Spencer’s parents, who lived nearby, also lost their house in the fire.