A California government agency injury case is never just about the specific piece of infrastructure that failed. It is about years, sometimes decades, of decisions a public agency made about what to inspect, what to repair, and what to leave in place. Our clients lost two family members when infrastructure maintained by a Los Angeles public utility failed during a rainstorm, sending a live high-voltage wire into their family's own backyard. Before the case reached trial, the agency's governing board approved a settlement of $38 million to resolve the claims arising from this tragedy.
$38M
Settlement approved before trial
2
Family members lost when the wire fell
6 months
California deadline to file a government claim
In the early morning hours after a rainstorm in January 2021, a power pole in a Panorama City neighborhood failed. A dislodged pin allowed a live high-voltage wire to fall directly into a family's backyard. The results were catastrophic. Two members of the family were electrocuted and died, while other family members witnessed the tragedy unfold in the place that should have been their home's safest space. The utility responsible for maintaining that pole and the surrounding infrastructure was a massive public agency, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which owns and operates more than 301,000 utility poles and over 7,300 miles of power lines across the city.
This was not the first time questions had been raised about how well the agency inspected and maintained its aging infrastructure. A state audit years earlier had specifically criticized the frequency of the agency's pole inspections. Public reporting separately found that tens of thousands of the agency's poles had exceeded their sixty-year design life, raising exactly the kind of long-term maintenance concerns that can turn a single failed component into a fatal event.
Pursuing a claim against a public agency the size of a major municipal utility required strict compliance with California's Government Claims Act and a case built around the agency's own knowledge of its aging infrastructure.
A state audit years earlier criticized the frequency of the agency's pole inspections, and public reporting found tens of thousands of poles had exceeded their sixty-year design life. That record supported the argument that the agency knew, or should have known, about the risk its aging infrastructure posed.
Cases against government utilities often hinge on documentary evidence spanning years, including prior audits, internal maintenance records, and inspection schedules. Establishing that an agency should have known about the risks posed by aging poles is central to proving the notice California law requires.
A rainstorm is not an unusual or unforeseeable event in California. When a system already burdened by aging components and inconsistent inspection practices meets ordinary weather, the resulting failure is the foreseeable consequence of budget and maintenance decisions made over years.
Matched against the scale of the loss the family suffered, that institutional-knowledge approach moved the agency toward a pre-trial resolution.
When a public agency's infrastructure causes a death, California law allows the family to hold that agency accountable, but the process is not the same as a claim against a private party. Pursuing a claim against a public entity requires strict compliance with California's Government Claims Act, including a formal government tort claim within just six months of the incident before any lawsuit can proceed. That deadline is far shorter than the two-year period that generally applies to claims against private parties. It does not pause for grief or funeral arrangements, and missing it usually bars the claim permanently. The Homampour Law Firm moved to preserve our clients' rights immediately while building the broader case around the agency's knowledge of its own aging infrastructure.
Before the case reached trial, the agency's governing board approved a settlement of $38 million to resolve the claims arising from this tragedy, one of the larger settlements of its kind involving a Los Angeles public utility. In the aftermath, the agency announced a large-scale pole repair and replacement program addressing infrastructure across the city. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts, and The Homampour Law Firm handles government liability and wrongful death matters on a contingency fee basis, meaning there is no fee unless we recover for you.
The breakdowns below cover identifying every responsible public entity, the duty standard under Government Code section 835, mediating against a government defendant, and the government tort claim process.
Multiple public entity liability
Agency duty and dangerous conditions
We try catastrophic and wrongful death cases against government defendants as counsel or co-counsel and pay statutory referral fees.
Refer a caseIn January 2021, a power pole maintained by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power failed after a rainstorm, sending a live high-voltage wire into a family's backyard in Panorama City. Two family members were electrocuted and died. The Homampour Law Firm pursued a claim against the agency that resulted in a $38 million settlement before trial.
Generally, you have only six months from the date of the injury to file a formal government tort claim. Missing this deadline can permanently bar your ability to pursue a claim, so prompt action is critical.
You may be able to, depending on the specific facts. California law allows claims against public entities for dangerous conditions of public property and for negligence, but strict claim-filing deadlines apply, so it is important to speak with an attorney as soon as possible after the injury.
