Aug 11 (Reuters) – A California judge tentatively denied a request to hold Southern California Edison, a unit of Edison International, automatically liable for billions of dollars in property losses from the Eaton wildfire, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Laura Seigle denied the request by insurance companies seeking a ruling that SCE was responsible under a state law that holds utilities automatically liable when their equipment starts a fire, according to the report.
The tentative ruling came days after Los Angeles County fire investigators said electrical arcing from an out-of-service SCE transmission tower caused the January 2025 Eaton Fire, which killed 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
“Yes, we agree with the tentative ruling. Our primary goal is to support the Altadena community as they recover and rebuild,” SCE spokesperson David Eisenhauer told Reuters.
SCE faces 998 lawsuits by businesses and individuals over the Eaton fire, as well as by government entities and insurers.
(Reporting by Katha Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
