Thousands of plaintiffs, including Los Angeles County, allege Southern California Edison’s electrical equipment ignited the January 2025 Eaton Fire, which destroyed thousands of structures in the Altadena area. SCE has cross-sued Los Angeles County and Pasadena Water & Power alleging shared fault, while insurers and the state’s $21B Wildfire Fund absorb early payouts.
LATEST DEVELOPMENT · MAY 5, 2026
Coordinated Eaton Fire litigation returned to court for case management conferences in 2026 with new trial dates set, while cross-litigation between SCE and local public entities over shared liability continues.
BACKGROUND
The Eaton Fire broke out in January 2025 near Eaton Canyon above Altadena, California, destroying thousands of homes and businesses and killing multiple residents. Individual victims, property owners, and Los Angeles County government quickly filed suit against Southern California Edison and its parent Edison International, alleging SCE’s electrical transmission equipment started the fire and that the utility failed to de-energize lines despite forecast high winds. Plaintiffs’ firms with experience in prior California wildfire litigation, including Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, moved quickly to file new injury actions, and Los Angeles County filed its own cost-recovery suit in March 2025.
As the case count grew toward roughly a thousand consolidated actions, SCE responded in January 2026 by filing cross-complaints against Los Angeles County, Pasadena Water and Power, and Southern California Gas, arguing those public entities and utilities bore some responsibility for the fire’s ignition or its destructive spread. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge later narrowed aspects of that cross-complaint against the county. Litigation has proceeded through repeated case management conferences in 2026, with trial dates set and later revised as the coordinated docket has grown.
A further complication emerged in mid-2026 when CAL FIRE, the state’s fire investigation agency, concluded that SCE’s equipment caused the Eaton Fire, a finding likely to shape settlement dynamics and the allocation of any recovery through California’s post-PG&E wildfire liability framework, including the state’s Wildfire Fund. The case remains active, with claims still being litigated by victims, local governments, and insurers, and no global resolution has yet been reached.
The dispute sits alongside a separate but related Palisades Fire litigation and continues to test the reach of California’s inverse condemnation doctrine and the $21B state Wildfire Fund created after the PG&E bankruptcy, as loss estimates from the Eaton Fire rival or exceed those earlier utility liabilities.
TIMELINE
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AUG 2026OTHERCAL FIRE concludes SCE equipment caused the Eaton FireCalifornia’s fire investigation agency reportedly concluded that Southern California Edison equipment caused the Eaton Fire, a finding likely to affect settlement talks and liability allocation.
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MAY 28, 2026PROCEDURALCourt narrows SCE’s cross-complaint against LA CountyA Los Angeles Superior Court judge expressed skepticism toward and narrowed aspects of Southern California Edison’s cross-complaint accusing Los Angeles County of shared fault for the Eaton Fire.
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MAY 2026HEARINGCase management conference addresses nearly 1,000 converged casesLos Angeles Superior Court held a case management conference in the coordinated Eaton Fire proceedings, with reporting noting close to 1,000 cases had converged against Edison.
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MAR 24, 2026PROCEDURALNew Eaton Fire trial dates announcedCoordinated proceedings saw new trial dates set as the case count and procedural complexity grew.
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JAN 16, 2026FILINGSCE cross-sues LA County, Pasadena Water & Power, and SoCal GasSouthern California Edison, facing nearly 1,000 lawsuits over the Eaton Fire, filed cross-complaints against Los Angeles County, local water agencies including Pasadena Water & Power, and Southern California Gas, alleging they bore some responsibility for the fire’s ignition or spread.
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AUG 20, 2025PROCEDURALInitial trial date set for coordinated Eaton Fire litigationLos Angeles Superior Court set an initial trial date for the growing set of coordinated Eaton Fire cases against Edison.
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MAR 5, 2025FILINGLos Angeles County sues Edison over Eaton Fire costsLos Angeles County filed suit against Southern California Edison seeking to recover public costs and damages tied to the Eaton Fire’s destruction.
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FEB 4, 2025FILINGLieff Cabraser files new injury action against SCE over Eaton FireLieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein announced a new injury lawsuit against Southern California Edison, with partner Lexi Hazam serving as co-lead counsel, citing her prior lead role in the 2017 and 2018 Southern California wildfire litigation.
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JAN 2025OTHEREaton Fire ignites near Altadena, CaliforniaThe Eaton Fire broke out in the Eaton Canyon area above Altadena in January 2025, destroying thousands of structures and killing multiple residents, setting off the wave of litigation against Southern California Edison.