Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@spencerpratt
Topics: Celebrity, US News, Weather, Environment
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Celebrity, US News, Weather, Environment
Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag have decided to take legal action against the city of Los Angeles after losing their home in the devastating Californian wildfires.
The couple, who wed back in 2008, have been very open about sharing the 'nightmare' moment the devastating Palisades wildfire destroyed their beloved family home.
In fact, since the wildfires took over much of LA, Pratt has been documenting the aftermath on his TikTok and other social media, and has gained a massive following from it which has proven to be very beneficial.
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Pratt and Montag have since sued the city of Los Angeles and the Department of Water and Power after losing their home with court documents obtained by Fox News Digital reporting that the reality TV stars are alleging 'inverse condemnation' - a legal concept that allows property owners to seek compensation when the government damages property.
They filed the suit in California's Superior Court in Los Angeles County on Tuesday (21 January), alongside 20 other property owners, in which they blamed the city and the utility company for causing damage to their homes.
The suit also claimed that the devastating fire was 'an inescapable and unavoidable consequence' as a result of how the city and LADWP allegedly managed the area's water supply (via PEOPLE).
"The Palisades Fire was an inescapable and unavoidable consequence of the egregious failure of the water supply system servicing areas in and around Pacific Palisades, including having an empty water reservoir," says the couple’s attorney, Peter McNulty (via Deadline).
"This failure was a substantial factor in causing my clients and others to suffer enormous losses."
Referencing the Santa Ynez Reservior, the filing alleges that, given the reservoir’s condition, hydrants in the Palisades failed after three tanks - which hold one million gallons of water - went dry within a span of 12 hours.
The lawsuit also accused the LADWP of making 'the conscious decision to operate the water supply system with the reservoir drained and unusable as a 'cost-saving' measure'.
It further claims the water system in place for the public to use didn't have enough pressure to handle the fire, alleging that the director of Los Angeles County Public Works had claimed the hydrant system was 'not designed to fight wildfires' on it's own.
"Defendants deliberately designed and maintained this water supply system in this way, despite Los Angeles being in a fire-prone area." the lawsuit claims.
Elsewhere in the document, the complaint added: "Plaintiffs have suffered real and personal property damage, personal injuries, loss of use of their homes, loss of income, business interruption, and emotional distress and seek fair compensation for themselves in this case caused by Defendants."
Tyla has reached out to the city of Los Angeles and the Department of Water and Power for comment.