New lawsuits blame suicide, terminal illness deaths on Palisades fire

"The wife of a man who killed himself after his home burned down in the Palisades fire is among more than a dozen plaintiffs who have filed lawsuits blaming the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and other defendants for causing or hastening the deaths of their relatives. The lawsuits the first death-related litigation in the Palisades fire were brought last month under a pilot law, state Senate Bill 447,"

"Among the plaintiffs is Monique Lasky, the widow of Marc Lasky, who took his own life after suffering for months as a result of the fire, according to the suit. Marc Lasky's mother had recently died and Lasky became the custodian of her family heirlooms, meaningful keepsakes and irreplaceable belongings, which perished in the fire, the suit states. Also suing are the families of three people who died of illnesses after the Jan. 7, 2025, blaze, claiming the fire hastened their deaths."

"David Keighley, 77, died of prostate cancer in August; Moshe Bar, 61, was diagnosed with colorectal cancer within four months after the fire and died in October 2025; and Dan Caldwell, 77, died on Jan. 8, 2025, of myelofibrosis after his family evacuated him from their home as the fire approached, the suits say. Caldwell's family believed he was dying at the time of the evacuation, but the pain and discomfort sitting in the car for hours stuck in traffic"

More than a dozen plaintiffs filed lawsuits blaming the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, California state parks department, Southern California Gas and other defendants for causing or hastening relatives' deaths in the Palisades fire. The claims include one suicide and several deaths from illnesses allegedly accelerated by the blaze. Plaintiffs used a pilot law, SB 447, allowing suits for victims' pain, suffering and disfigurement. Plaintiffs include Monique Lasky, widow of Marc Lasky, and families of David Keighley, Moshe Bar and Dan Caldwell, who allege the fire and evacuation trauma contributed to or hastened their deaths.

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