Man Accused of $37 Billion LA Fire Is Innocent, His Lawyer Says

Jonathan Rinderknecht has been wrongly accused of starting the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history, his lawyer told a jury.

Rinderknecht was watching New Year’s Eve fireworks on a hillside in the Pacific Palisades and called 911 just after midnight on the morning of Jan. 1, 2025, as a “concerned citizen” to report a brush fire, only to be charged nine months later with arson, defense attorney Steve Haney said at the start of his client’s trial in Los Angeles federal court.

“There won’t be any proof that Jonathan Rinderknecht started that fire,” Haney said. The evidence “will show ...