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, accusing the utility of igniting the blaze and Genasys of failing to issue evacuation warnings in her neighborhood.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Geraldine "Gerry" Darden, the sister of Stacey Darden.
"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. The San Diego-based company had a contract with Los Angeles County, providing emergency alerts, notifications and evacuation communications.
County officials previously suspended use of Genasys' 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 who say they are working to achieve justice for victims of preventable fires.
The coalition is led by Chris Holden, former mayor of Pasadena and assemblyman; attorneys Doug Boxer, son of former Sen. Barbara Boxer, Mikal Watts and Rico Reyes; as well as consumer advocate Erin Brockovich.
Earlier this year, LA Fire Justice identified an abandoned transmission line owned by SoCal Edison as the source of the Eaton Fire, which erupted on Jan. 7.
While the exact cause of the fire has not been determined, SoCal Edison is facing several lawsuits, which in many, plaintiffs allege the fire began in the foothills above Altadena, where the company's equipment is located.
Attorneys said Stacey Darden lived at 2528 Marengo Ave. in Altadena, about five blocks west of Lake Avenue.
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.
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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, 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.
Of the 19 lives the Eaton Fire claimed, 18 were residents who lived west of Lake Avenue, according to attorneys.
"Stacey did everything our community asks of a responsible neighbor in a wildfire, she stayed informed, followed the rules and trusted that if she was in danger, she would be told to get out," Watts said in a statement. "Instead, Southern California Edison ignited this fire, and Genasys left Stacey and her neighbors west of Lake Avenue omitted from the designated alert zone. By the time an evacuation order was finally pushed to her phone, it was too late."
He described her death as "not a tragedy of bad luck " but of "corporate failures."
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.
Stacey Darden was 54 at the time of her death.
"When I joined LA Fire Justice, I promised this community that we would hold wrongdoers accountable for the devastation caused by the Eaton Fire," Holden said in a statement. "We cannot bring back the lives that were lost, but we can fight to make sure this never happens again. Filing this lawsuit is an essential step toward justice, change and accountability."
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