A relative of a person who died in January in the Eaton fire filed a lawsuit against Southern California Edison (SCE), to its parent company and the technology company Genasyswhich was contracted by Los Angeles County to send evacuation notices in case of fire.
Geraldine “Gerry” Darden, sister of one of the 19 fatal victims, filed the lawsuit with the support of lawyers from the LA Fire Justice group.
In the lawsuit, Genasys reportedly sent Eaton Fire warning messages to residents east of Lake Avenuebut not to those who lived to the west, or at least not before it was too late.
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“All the other deceased, including Gerry’s sister, are on the west side of Lake Avenue. From a logical standpoint, that is impossible unless something has gone wrong,” said Mikal Watts, an attorney with LA Fire Justice.
Watts presented a compelling accusation in what seemed a preview of a possible opening statement in court.
“In essence, This is a case of digital discrimination“Watts declared.
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Stacey Darden was an Altadena resident and was in contact with her sister throughout the night of January 7, closely following the news about the Eaton Fire and thinking he was safe because he had not received any evacuation notice.
The woman remained at her residence, while her sister assumed she had fled on foot the next day, but never appeared. Stacey’s body was found a week after the fire and was not identified until April.
“This shows us that the systems do not work. They are dysfunctional. Stacey deserved better. We all deserved better,” said LA Fire Justice Executive Director Chris Holden.
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“We understand the tremendous impact on the community and our hearts go out to everyone affected by the Southern California wildfires. We are reviewing the lawsuit filed and will respond through the legal process“said SCE spokesperson Jeff Monford.
Representatives of The Genasys company assured that they did not commit any irregularities and they announced that they will defend themselves against the accusations.
Keep reading:
· Former LAFD Chief Sues Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass
· Eaton Fire Victims to Receive Compensation from SoCal Edison
· The number of victims from fires in Los Angeles increases to 31