The number of lawsuits against the state and local governments in response to the deadly Palisades Fire is growing: the city of Malibu filed a lawsuit against the state of California and the city of Los Angeles Wednesday, saying their failures caused the 2025 wildfire to explode and eventually devastate the coastal community.

The lawsuit alleges the Department of Parks and Recreation, a state agency, allowed the embers from the Lachman Fire, a smaller blaze that started a week prior to the Palisades Fire near the Skull Rock area along the Temescal Ridge Trail, to smolder by failing to check the conditions on the state-owned land despite gusty Santa Ana winds.

NBC Los Angeles has previously reported that California State Parks employees saw the site of the Lachman Fire was still smoldering but did not report to fire authorities.

The suit also contends a number of policy decisions by the city and the Department of Water of Power led to insufficient emergency response when the fire first broke out, including empty reservoirs and failing infrastructure within the Los Angeles Fire Department.

“This decision was not made lightly,” Malibu Mayor Bruce Silverstein said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. “The city has an obligation to act in the best interests of our residents and taxpayers. The lawsuit seeks
accountability for the extraordinary losses suffered by our community while recognizing that Malibu must continue to work collaboratively with our regional partners going forward.”

The lawsuit also says the Palisades Fire left the city “devoid of the vibrant community it once enjoyed.”

“Indeed, to date — more than one year after the Palisades Fire — the city of Malibu is still reeling from the destruction it left in its wake: a hollowed out community, burned and destroyed buildings and homes, a shrinking tax base, emotionally and physically scarred citizens, and untold environmental damage,” the complaint said.

The city of Malibu seeks unspecified damages as officials said they are hoping to recover costs associated with the emergency response, infrastructure repair, ,environmental restoration and lost revenues.

The Palisades Fire, which was reported on Jan. 7, 2026, killed 12 people and destroyed nearly 7,000 structures.