Lineage is suing a solar-panel operator and maintenance contractor for more than $1 billion over a fire that destroyed one of its Los Angeles warehouses, alleging negligence caused the blaze.
The cold-storage company filed the lawsuit against Altus Power and Pearce Services in Los Angeles Superior Court. The fire started June 17 at a 500,000-square-foot temperature-controlled warehouse in Boyle Heights and smoldered for days. The facility held millions of pounds of fresh and frozen food, much of which spoiled after the fire.
Lineage leased the warehouse roof to an Altus subsidiary, Los Palos Street Operating, which owned and operated a solar array there. The lawsuit alleges Los Palos hired Pearce to maintain the panels and that the fire began while Pearce workers were working on the array.
Lineage is seeking damages for property and reputational losses, cleanup costs and lawsuits brought by nearby residents over health and air-quality concerns. Altus and Pearce dispute the allegations.
