The family of a prominent Altadena man who died in the Eaton fire has filed a lawsuit against Southern California Edison — one of more than 100 suits blaming the utility’s equipment for igniting the devastating blaze that destroyed more than 9,000 structures and killed 17 people.
Rodney Kent Nickerson, 82, whose grandfather founded the Nickerson Gardens public housing complex in Watts, died after refusing to evacuate his home. His daughter, Kimiko Nickerson, and family has hired civil rights and personal injury attorney Carl Douglas, a member of O.J. Simpson’s defense team.
“Rodney Nickerson was more than just a victim of the Eaton Canyon Fire — he was a pillar of his community and a link to a historic legacy,” Douglas said. “His death was avoidable, and Southern California Edison must answer for its role in this tragedy. We’re here to make sure they do.”
The suit, like others that have been filed, alleges Edison recklessly operated its equipment, failed to maintain the brush around its power lines and failed to de-energize all of its lines in the Eaton Canyon area despite warnings of impending high winds from the National Weather Service.
“They were aware of the risk the towers would have when those violent winds were approaching,” Douglas said.
Also see: A look at the people killed by Eaton, Palisades fires
The lawsuit cites eyewitness accounts, videos and photographs that show flames emanating at the base of a power transmission tower. Edison’s equipment has triggered other previous fires, including the Woolsey fire that destroyed more than 1,600 structures and killed three people in 2018.
“Unfortunately, rather than reform its practices, Edison once again elected to put profits over public safety, transmitting high voltage electric power through exposed, uninsulated conductors in known high fire risk areas during forecasted high wind conditions,” the suit said.
A Southern California Edison official did not return an emailed request for comment.
Nickerson was the grandson of William Nickerson Jr., the founder of Watts’ Nickerson Gardens Housing Complex as well as Golden State Mutual life insurance. Nickerson Gardens is the largest public housing development in Los Angeles, with 1,066 units.
An engineer by trade, Rodney Nickerson also was a deacon and chairman of the Weller Street Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles.
His grandson, Chase Newton, wrote in a GoFundMe page that Nickerson graduated from high school in Los Angeles and served honorably for four years in the U.S. Navy. He then went on to spend 45 years working as a project engineer at Lockheed Martin.
“Our family’s roots run deep, but this fire has taken everything, including a piece of our heart and history,” Newton added.
As the fire approached his neighborhood, Nickerson resisted his family’s pleas to evacuate his home of more than five decades.
“Despite the dangerous conditions, my grandfather insisted on staying in his home, a place that was deeply meaningful to our family,” Newton wrote. “His last words to my mother were, ‘I’ll be here tomorrow,’ but he never made it out.”
His family found him amid the charred rubble, in his bed, according to a news release from Douglas.
Besides the property loss and loss of her father, Kimiko Nickerson has become so distressed that she has sought psychological counseling, the suit said.
“It’s important, we believe, although property is valuable, the loss of life is paramount,” Douglas said. “We want to make sure we preserve the memory of Rodney Kent Nickerson.”
Staff writer Jason Henry contributed to this report.