Former Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has filed a personal defamation lawsuit against Mayor Karen Bass, accusing the mayor of damaging her reputation during the 2025 reelection campaign by blaming her for the city’s handling of the Palisades fire. Crowley initially sued the city in February, alleging that Bass orchestrated retaliation against her by removing her as fire chief in an attempt to deflect criticism over the mayor’s decision to attend a ceremony in Ghana on January 7, 2025, while the deadly fire was spreading.

In the more recent lawsuit, filed Tuesday, Crowley contends that statements Bass made during the campaign trail are not protected by government immunity and seeks unspecified economic and compensatory damages paid by the mayor personally. Crowley’s attorneys argue that Bass knowingly disseminated false information about the fire response, the fire department’s resources, and Crowley’s actions to protect her own reputation.

The lawsuit cites a televised debate on May 6 where Bass allegedly blamed Crowley for fire engines being inoperable, despite budget cuts to mechanics that Crowley opposed publicly and privately. Additionally, the complaint accuses Bass of falsely claiming that Crowley had sent home 1,000 firefighters who could have fought the blaze, labeling these claims as malicious misinformation.

Bass fired Crowley on February 21, 2025, six weeks after the fire, after initially praising her early in the incident. The mayor later stated that she had learned additional firefighters could have been deployed during the fire’s first hours, which motivated Crowley’s dismissal. Bass has also said that Crowley refused to prepare a critical report on the fire, integral to ongoing investigations.

The Palisades fire erupted on the morning of January 7, 2025, fueled by strong Santa Ana winds, ultimately killing 12 people and destroying thousands of homes. Authorities have charged a Florida man with sparking the fire, alleging it was a rekindling of a blaze from January 1. However, the response by the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) and the mayor’s office has faced intense scrutiny, particularly regarding insufficient predeployment of firefighting resources, challenges during evacuation, and water shortages partly caused by a local reservoir’s maintenance.

Internal documents obtained by reporters reveal that shortly before releasing an official after-action report, the LAFD prepared a confidential memo aimed at protecting Bass and others from reputational damage. The city’s after-action report itself was reportedly altered to tone down criticism related to the department’s failures in predeploying resources and managing the fire.

Crowley and her legal team argue that longstanding budget cuts impaired the department’s readiness and endangered public safety, with Crowley repeatedly warning about resource shortfalls and staff reductions before the fire. Three days after the fire started, she told a local news outlet the department was “screaming to be properly funded,” which the lawsuit says prompted Bass to call her into a meeting.

City officials have disputed these claims, with a top financial analyst pointing out that funding for the LAFD actually increased during the relevant budget year, largely due to firefighter salary raises that added approximately $53 million to the department’s budget.

Bass’s office labeled the defamation suit as "another meritless lawsuit from a disgruntled individual who was removed from her position," dismissing Crowley’s allegations. The dispute highlights continuing tensions over the city’s response to one of Los Angeles’ most devastating wildfires in recent history.