Brief

The City Attorney initiated this file on July 31, 2025, to report on Robert Danbom v. LAFD et al., a civil case (LASC Case No. 22STCV28056) filed against the Los Angeles Fire Department. Council voted 10-0-5 on August 15, 2025, to refer the matter to Budget and Finance Committee for further consideration. As of August 13, 2026, the file remains pending in committee with no final disposition.

Full summary

This file tracks a civil lawsuit filed by Robert Danbom against the Los Angeles Fire Department and other defendants (LASC Case No. 22STCV28056, Claim No. C22-03014). The substantive details of the underlying claim are confidential, as the City Attorney has requested that the Council conduct its litigation discussions in closed session under California Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(1), which permits closed meetings when the subject is pending litigation. City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, through Chief of Civil Litigation Kathleen Kenealy, submitted the initial report on July 31, 2025, recommending that Council schedule a closed session to confer with legal counsel on the case's status. After several continuances, Council voted 10-0-5 on August 15, 2025, to formally refer the matter to the Budget and Finance Committee. The committee scheduled the item for August 19, 2025, but continued it to a date to be determined. Council marked its action final on August 20, 2025. On August 13, 2026, the City Attorney submitted an updated report (R26-0470) making the same closed-session request, again recommending that Council meet privately with legal counsel to discuss the litigation's current status. The report was copied to LAFD leadership including Fire Chief Jaime Moore, Acting Chief of Staff Kairi Brown, and Public Safety Risk Manager Drew Steinberg, indicating ongoing departmental involvement in managing the case. The matter was again referred to Budget and Finance Committee, where it remains pending with no public resolution announced. The file is open and does not expire until August 2028.

Activity (12)

• 2026-08-13 City Attorney document(s) referred to Budget and Finance Committee.
• 2026-08-13 Document submitted by City Attorney, dated August 13, 2026.
• 2025-08-20 Council action final.
• 2025-08-19 Budget and Finance Committee continued item to a date to be determined.
• 2025-08-15 Budget and Finance Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on August 19, 2025.
• 2025-08-15 Council referred the matter to the Budget and Finance Committee for further consideration.
• 2025-08-13 Council continued item to August 15, 2025 .
• 2025-08-06 Council continued item to August 13, 2025 .
• 2025-08-01 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on August 6, 2025.
• 2025-08-01 Budget and Finance Committee waived consideration of item .
• 2025-08-01 City Attorney document(s) referred to Budget and Finance Committee.
• 2025-07-31 Document submitted by City Attorney, dated July 31, 2025.

Documents (8)

• 2026-08-13 Report from City Attorney · report
• 2026-04-15 Communication(s) from Public · communication
• 2025-10-15 Communication(s) from Public · communication
• 2025-08-20 Council Action · council_action
• 2025-08-15 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2025-08-13 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2025-08-06 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2025-07-31 Report from City Attorney · report

Council votes (1)

• 2025-08-15 Adopted to Refer — 10-0-5 · Regular