FORMER FEDERAL JUDGE JAY GANDHI JOINS THE LEGAL FIGHT TO HOLD LADWP RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF PACIFIC PALISADES

LOS ANGELES, April 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Today the Honorable Jay C. Gandhi (Ret.) announced he has joined the existing legal team of Robertson & Associates, LLP and Foley Bezek Behle & Curtis, LLP in their mass tort lawsuits against the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to hold it responsible for the property damage and personal injuries suffered by thousands of victims of the Palisades Fire. The Palisades Fire began January 7, 2025 and is the worst urban conflagration in the City’s history, having destroyed and/or damaged 7,810 homes and businesses in Pacific Palisades and Malibu. Tragically, 12 civilians were killed in the inferno. This legal team currently represents over 750 homeowners and business owners whose properties were destroyed by the fire and has filed 12 lawsuits so far, with more coming, against LADWP.

PRESS CONFERENCE: A press conference will be held on Tuesday, April 22nd at 10:00 a.m. in front of Judge Gandhi’s burned-down home located at 15281 De Pauw Street, Pacific Palisades. Judge Gandhi will be available for in-person interviews and comments.

Judge Gandhi possesses a distinguished multi-faceted legal career, marked by success first as a high-stakes litigation partner at Paul Hastings LLP, then as a respected U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Central District of California, the nation’s largest federal court, and currently as a Chambers- ranked mediator and arbitrator at JAMS, the premier player in alternative dispute resolution. Judge Gandhi is active in civic affairs and known for his commitment to justice. For instance, he is appointed as the settlement monitor for the Los Angeles County’s historic homelessness settlement, and previously he served on the Los Angeles Police Commission’s Advisory Committee on Building Trust and Equity, which delivered recommendations for reform to the LAPD after the murder of George Floyd.

Judge Gandhi also brings a deep experience in the matter at hand: wildfires. For instance, Judge Gandhi served as the mediator in negotiations between Pacific Gas & Electric and 14 public entities concerning wildfire claims from the 2015 Butte Fire, the 2017 North Bay Fires, and the 2018 Camp Fire. His mediation efforts resulted in a $1 billion settlement. Later, he served as the mediator in Southern California’s Edison $360 million settlement with 23 public entities impacted by the 2017 Thomas and Koenigstein fires, the 2018 Montecito debris flows and the 2018 Woolsey fire. He has settled literally a countless number of wildfire cases, ranging from the most horrific wrongful death actions to the most complex property damage claims of the largest private landowner in the United States.

Quote from Judge Gandhi: “The Palisades didn’t burn; the City of Los Angeles allowed the town to burn — to turn my home into a pile of ashes and destroy my family’s life. The Palisades fire was not some rare anomaly, but a manifestation of widely known risks that the City blindly ignored. From mismanaged power lines and overgrown vegetation to an empty 117-million gallon reservoir and an anemic initial attack of the fire, the people deserve to walk through the courthouse doors and ensure that responsible parties can be held accountable.”

About Robertson & Associates, LLP: Alex “Trey” Robertson, IV was appointed by the Court as Co-Lead Plaintiffs’ Counsel in the 2017 Woolsey Fire Case, which involved claims by 10,000 victims against Southern California Edison Company. Mr. Robertson has represented thousands of victims of the 2017 Thomas Fire, 2018 Woolsey Fire, 2020 Bobcat Fire, 2020 Holiday Farm Fire (Oregon), 2020 Santiam Canyon Fire (Oregon), 2022 Fairview Fire, 2022 Coastal Fire and 2023 Lahaina Fire. Robertson has recovered nearly $1.4 Billion for his clients during his 38 year career.

Foley Bezek Behle & Curtis, LLP has represented thousands of wildfire victims of the 2018 Woolsey Fire, the 2017 Thomas Fire, the 2020 Bobcat Fire, the 2023 Maui Fire, and other wildfires throughout California, Oregon, and Hawaii.

Contact:

Alexander “Trey” Robertson, IV, Robertson & Associates, LLP
(818) 851-3850
[email protected]
www.arobertsonlaw.com

Roger Behle & Robert Curtis, Foley Bezek Behle & Curtis, LLP
(714) 556-1700
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.foleybezek.com

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SOURCE Foley Bezek Behle & Curtis