LOS ANGELES COUNTY : Firefighters Named in Arson Case to File Claim
An attorney for two firefighters named as arson suspects in the devastating Calabasas-Malibu fire last fall said this week that he will bring legal action against Los Angeles County for damage to their reputations.
Larry Feldman, who represented the boy who won a multimillion-dollar out-of-court settlement in a molestation claim against superstar Michael Jackson, said he expects to file a claim against the county within two weeks, a required first step before a lawsuit. A suit can be filed if the county fails to respond to the claim.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Sept. 3, 1994 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday September 3, 1994 Home Edition Metro Part B Page 2 Column 5 Metro Desk 1 inches; 26 words Type of Material: Correction
Firefighter’s legal action--A story in Friday’s editions of The Times incorrectly referred to Steven Shelp as a county firefighter. He is a member of the Los Angeles City Fire Department.
Steven Shelp, a Los Angeles County firefighter, and Nicholas Durepo, a volunteer firefighter in Manhattan Beach, were identified by sheriff’s officials as suspected arsonists in one of the worst fires in Los Angeles history.
Neither man was charged with a crime, and the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office recently announced that officials had insufficient evidence to prosecute and were no longer investigating them. The announcement did not exonerate the men, who have denied that they set the fire.
A sheriff’s spokesman said the department has received no formal notice of the action and had no comment.
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