SAN DIEGO, CA – A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of over 700 San Diegans who were harmed by the Chollas Creek Flood against the City of San Diego in the Superior Court of the State of California County of San Diego.
The Plaintiffs allege that the City neglected its responsibility to clear vegetation, sediment, and trash from Chollas Creek, which significantly reduced the channel's capacity to handle the stormwater.
On January 22, 2024, a storm caused the unmaintained Chollas Creek to flood in Southeastern San Diego, causing widespread destruction to homes, businesses, and personal property, as well as several injuries and fatalities.
Although the storm was powerful, plaintiffs argue that its impact could have been mitigated had the City of San Diego properly maintained the Chollas Creek flood channel.
Brett Schreiber and Domenic Martini of Singleton Schreiber LLP represent the plaintiffs.
“The Chollas Creek Flood was an unprecedented tragedy that caused immense physical and emotional harm to hundreds of San Diegans. As the community works to rebuild after the flood, it's time for the City of San Diego to be held accountable for this preventable maintenance failure,” said Domenic Martini, counsel with Singleton Schreiber LLP.
The lawsuit brings multiple claims including inverse condemnation, dangerous condition of public property, negligence, wrongful death and survival action. It aims to hold the City of San Diego accountable and ensure future infrastructure improvements.
Singleton Schreiber is a client-centered law firm, specializing in mass torts/multidistrict litigation, fire litigation, personal injury/wrongful death, civil rights, environmental law, and sexual abuse/trafficking. Over the last decade, the firm has recovered more than $2.5 billion for clients who have been harmed and sought justice. The firm also has the largest fire litigation practice in the country, having represented over 26,000 victims of wildfire, most notably serving plaintiffs in litigation related to the 2023 Maui wildfires, the Colorado Marshall wildfire, the Washington Gray wildfire, and others.
