Da Vinci Fire Lawsuit Settled For $400K
LA originally sought $20M in its lawsuit against developer Geoffrey Palmer over the Da Vinci Apartments fire but will receive $400K instead to settle the suit.
The fire, which happened three years ago, forced the closure of part of a DTLA freeway, threatened the lives of homeless in the area and damaged city property.
Though the settlement amount is substantially less than $20M, LA City Attorney Mike Feuer called the outcome an excellent result for the city in a statement. Insurance paid nearly $62M on the fire, the LA Times reports.
The city filed the lawsuit last year, saying Palmer had created a fire hazard at the construction site.
An arsonist, Dawud Abdulwali, was sentenced in April to 15 years in prison for starting the fire after federal investigators ruled it was arson.
