#civil-liability

#civil-liability

When federal prosecutors arrested a man Wednesday for setting a small fire that reignited days later into the deadly Palisades blaze, they suggested the arrest largely settled the matter of blame. "A single person's recklessness caused one of the worst fires Los Angeles has ever seen," Bill Essayli, acting United States Attorney for central California, said as he announced the arrest of Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old Uber driver. But the new details they offered about the cause of the fire only added toresidents' anger and dismay about how city officials handled the fire that killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,700 structures across Pacific Palisades and Malibu. It also renewed calls for City Hall to be held accountable.