MAJOR FEDERAL INDICTMENT – THE PALISADES FIRE

A federal grand jury recently indicted Jonathan Rinderknect, a former resident of Pacific Palisades, charging him in connection with what has become the Palisades Fire.  The three-count indictment includes:

• • Destruction of property by means of fire
  • Arson affecting property used in interstate commerce
  • Timber set afire (unlawful ignition of timber/forest land)

If convicted he faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum of up to 45 years.  According to prosecutors, evidence cited includes witness statements, video surveillance, and cellphone geolocation placing him near the ignition site, and fire-pattern analysis indicating the fire was deliberately set.

The Palisades Fire was one of the worst in Los Angeles history, burning tens of thousands of acres, destroying thousands of structures.

VICTIMS LOST MORE THAN HOMES

For those who lived through the Palisades Fire, the word fire means evacuation in the dark.  It means smoke so thick it erased the sun from view.  It means running with what you could and praying for what was left behind would still be standing when they returned.

For many victims of the Palisades Fire, it wasn’t.

Homes were reduced to ash.  Neighborhoods vanished.  Lives lost.  A sense of safety, something you don’t realize you depend on until it’s gone, burned with everything else.

So when the news broke that an arrest had finally been made, the feeling was complicated.  While there was relief, there was also anger and grief with the quiet question looming since the flames were extinguished:  Will anyone truly be held accountable?

No arrest can bring back families who lost loved ones, the memories of our loved ones who once filled now lost homes, and the quiet routines that anchored the lives of many.  For victims, this case is not about headlines or court filings.  It’s about the “before and after” that now defines everything.

ACCOUNTABILITY IS NOT REVENGE, IT’S ABOUT RECOGNITION

For survivors, accountability is not about vengeance, it’s about recognition.  Recognition that the losses are not abstract numbers on a damage report.  Recognition that what happened matters.  

Accountability matters because it acknowledges the harm was not inevitable.  It validates the suffering of the victims and reinforces legal and social standards of responsibility.

For many families, the indictment represents the first formal recognition that what happened to them was not merely tragic, it was wrongful.  

CRIMINAL CHARGES DO NOT ELIMINATE THE BROADER CIVIL RESPONSIBILITY

Even when a single individual is charged, the legal inquiry does not necessarily end there. Large-scale wildfire litigation often raises additional civil questions involving:

• • Property owners
  • Utilities
  • Contractors
  • Public governmental entities
  • Land management practices
  • Emergency response systems

For victims, criminal accountability is only one piece of a much broader legal landscape. Civil claims remain essential to:

• Securing financial recovery
• Addressing long-term medical and mental health needs
• Replacing lost homes and businesses
• Exposing institutional failures that allowed risk to escalate

WE ARE HERE

The criminal charges reinforced ASK’s understanding that the Palisades Fire was a “rekindling” of the January 1, 2025 Lachman Fire.  The US Attorney and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) confirmed that the Palisades Fire started on State land. Accordingly, it is ASK’s continued belief that had the government conducted a thorough inspection of its land after the Lachman Fire was declared “fully contained,” it would have discovered embers smoldering in heavy brush, which is especially important when accounting for high wind forecasts. The Palisades Fire therefore would not and should not have started. Moreover, claims against the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) specifically encompass their failures related to the water supply system after the fire started, leaving firefighters without water during a critical time, as well as the LADWP’s failure to de-energize power to Pacific Palisades, which resulted in multiple independent spot fires starting all over the Palisades. Overall, the criminal indictment is in line with and fully supports the claims against the governmental entities. 

As ASK attorneys, our responsibility extends beyond interpreting statues and tracking court dates. It includes ensuring victims understand their rights and holding all responsible parties accountable.  Wildfire victims face an uphill battle, legally, financially, and emotionally.  They deserve more than sympathy.  They deserve representation, resources and results.