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4w ago

Palisades Fire Trial Ends in Mistrial as Prosecutors Announce Plans to Retry

A 10-2 jury split favoring acquittal raised questions about the strength of the government's causal evidence and leaves large civil lawsuits over alleged agency and utility failures as the main path for victims.

From left, Leah, Joel and Joel Rinderknecht, family of Jonathan Rinderknecht, speaks outside federal court after a federal judge declared a mistrial in the arson case against Rinderknecht, who is accused of sparking the deadly 2025 Palisades Fire, on Friday, June 26, 2026, in Los Angeles.

Overview

  • The criminal trial of Jonathan Rinderknecht ended in a mistrial, declared June 26, after jurors reported a 10-2 split in favor of acquittal.
  • The U.S. Attorney’s Office, led in court by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, publicly said it will seek a retrial despite jurors’ strong lean toward acquittal.
  • Prosecutors introduced geolocation, surveillance, a recovered lighter and Rinderknecht’s ChatGPT prompts to link a Jan. 1 brush fire to the deadly Jan. 7 Palisades Fire while the defense pointed to fireworks and other people as alternative causes.
  • Plaintiffs and some jurors criticized the trial for excluding testimony about firefighting and utility failures—such as incomplete mop-up, crews pulling hoses early, an empty reservoir and not de-energizing lines—which are central to ongoing civil suits demanding major damages.
  • Victims face practical hurdles rebuilding because many insurers exited high-risk markets and the state FAIR Plan offers limited coverage, and legal experts say a retrial will require a much stronger, more direct causal case to overcome the jury's doubts.