Attorneys representing Altadena fire survivors filed a lawsuit Monday against Southern California Edison and Genasys Inc. over the death of a woman who died in the Eaton Fire.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Geraldine “Gerry” Darden, the sister of 54-year-old Stacey Darden.
It accuses the utility of igniting the Eaton Fire and Genasys, an emergency alerts software company, of failing to issue evacuation warnings in Darden’s neighborhood. No official cause of the second-most destructive wildfire on record in California has been determined, but SoCal Edison has said there is a possible connection to the utility’s equipment.
“We are not litigious,” Gerry Darden said in a statement. “Our family thought long and hard about the decision to file a lawsuit.
“Edison started this fire, and Genasys never warned her that she was in danger. My sister was studiously following the evacuation orders the night of the Eaton Fire. The truth is that if these companies had done what they were supposed to do, Stacey would be alive today.”
A representative for SoCal Edison confirmed the company is aware of the lawsuit.
“We understand the tremendous impact on the community and our hearts are with everyone who was affected by the Southern California wildfires. We are reviewing the lawsuit that has been filed and will respond through the legal process,” Gabriela Ornelas, spokeswoman for SoCal Edison, told City News Service.
A representative for Genasys Inc. did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBCLA. The San Diego-based company had a contract with Los Angeles County, providing emergency alerts, notifications and evacuation communications.
NBCLA also reached out to the county for comment. County officials previously suspended use of Genasys’ alerts system during January’s fires after an alert was sent out erroneously to nearly 10 million residents.
Darden’s attorneys are members of the LA Fire Justice — a coalition of wildfire lawyers, fire origin and causation experts, insurance specialists, and community leaders.
The fire in Altadena and the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades started Jan. 7 in a fearsome Santa Ana windstorm that fanned flames into neighborhoods.
Attorneys said Stacey Darden lived at 2528 Marengo Ave. in Altadena, about five blocks west of Lake Avenue. On the evening of Jan. 7, and into the early morning hours of Jan. 8, Stacey Darden and her sister Gerry consistently monitored the news for the evacuation zones for the Eaton Fire to confirm that Stacey and her home were safe for her to remain in, and that she and her home were not included in an evacuation zone, according to attorneys.
While neighbors to the east of Lake Avenue received multiple evacuation notifications and orders, west Altadena residents, including Stacey
Darden, were led to believe that they were safe where they were and there was no need to evacuate, attorney Mikal Watts said.
Stacey Darden’s last cell phone activity is believed to have been around 3:30 a.m. Jan. 8. Attorneys alleged the one and only communication regarding an evacuation order she received was not until 5:43 a.m. that same day.
“So what evacuation orders did the Darden home ever get? I think you know the answer because she’s not here to tell you about it,” Watts said.
Of the 19 people killed in the Eaton Fire, 18 were residents who lived west of Lake Avenue, according to attorneys.
Born on May 19, 1970, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Stacey Darden and her family moved to SoCal in 1978. She participated in the Mentally Gifted Minors program at Pomelo Elementary, later attending Elliott Jr. High School in Altadena and Pasadena High School, according to her family. She graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a degree in political science, and pursued a career in library and information science.
Source: NBC Los Angeles