Monday, November 17, 2025

Altadena Family Files Wrongful Death Suit Over Eaton Fire

Stacey Darden died in the Eaton Fire on January 8, 2025. At right, attorney Doug Boxer at a press conference at which he announced his firm has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Southern California Edison, Edison International and Genasys Inc. for Darden’s death.

Attorneys for LA Fire Justice announced Monday that they have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Southern California Edison, Edison International and Genasys Inc. on behalf of Geraldine “Gerry” Darden, whose sister Stacey Darden was among 19 people killed in January’s Eaton Fire.

The suit alleges corporate negligence led to the blaze that devastated Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre.

Gerry Darden, speaking in a statement released by LA Fire Justice, said her family struggled with the decision.

“We are not litigious. Our family thought long and hard about the decision to file a lawsuit. Edison started this fire, and Genasys never warned her that she was in danger. My sister was studiously following the evacuation orders the night of the Eaton Fire. The truth is that if these companies had done what they were supposed to do, Stacey would be alive today.”

LA Fire Justice said its legal team was the first to identify an abandoned transmission line as the source of the fire, which began Jan. 7, 2025. Stacey Darden lived on Marengo Avenue in west Altadena, about five blocks west of Lake Avenue. While residents east of Lake received multiple evacuation advisories and orders, west Altadena residents were not included in the designated alert zone until hours later. Stacey’s last cell phone activity was believed to be around 3:30 a.m. Jan. 8. The one and only communication regarding her evacuation zone — a mandatory order — was not issued until 5:43 a.m. By then, it was too late. Eighteen of the 19 Altadena residents who died lived west of Lake Avenue.

Attorney Mikal Watts said Stacey “did everything our community asks of a responsible neighbor in a wildfire, she stayed informed, followed the rules, and trusted that if she was in danger, she would be told to get out. Instead, Southern California Edison ignited this fire, and Genasys left Stacey and her neighbors west of Lake Avenue omitted from the designated alert zone. By the time an evacuation order was finally pushed to her phone, it was too late. This is not a tragedy of bad luck, this is a tragedy of corporate failures, and that is why we filed this lawsuit.”

Stacey E. Darden, 54, attended Elliott Junior High in Altadena and Pasadena High School, and spent much of her youth at the Altadena Library. She later graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a degree in political science and pursued a career in library and information science, including work at the Caltech Library.

Chris Holden, CEO of LA Fire Justice and forer Pasadena mayor and assemblymember, said the lawsuit is part of a broader effort to hold companies accountable.

“When I joined LA Fire Justice, I promised this community that we would hold wrongdoers accountable for the devastation caused by the Eaton Fire. We cannot bring back the lives that were lost, but we can fight to make sure this never happens again. Filing this lawsuit is an essential step toward justice, change and accountability.”

LA Fire Justice has established offices in Pasadena.

Editor’s note: LA Fire Justice advertises in Pasadena Now.