Trujillo & Winnick files amended class action over Chevron refinery fire

Trujillo & Winnick LLP has filed an amended class action in federal court over the October 2025 El Segundo refinery fire, alleging soot, ash and oily residue damaged property across nearby South Bay communities. No class has been certified, and the filing seeks to cover real and personal property owners within 10 miles of the refinery.

Why it matters: - The case could affect property owners and occupants across a broad area around Chevron’s El Segundo refinery. - The amended complaint seeks relief for alleged property damage, loss of use and cleanup of lingering deposits. - No class has been certified, so the filing does not yet create liability or recovery rights.

What happened: - Trujillo & Winnick LLP filed a first amended class action complaint on Sept. 15, 2026 in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. - The case is Coffey v. Chevron U.S.A. Inc., et al., Case No. 2:25-cv-09699. - The complaint names Chevron U.S.A. Inc. and Chevron Corporation as defendants. - The filing covers fourteen plaintiffs tied to the Oct. 2, 2025 fire at the El Segundo refinery. - The complaint alleges a section of piping ruptured on the night of Oct. 2, 2025, released flammable process material and burned into the morning of Oct. 3.

The details: - The complaint alleges the fire sent soot, ash and oily residue into surrounding South Bay communities. - The filing says residue settled on plaintiffs’ homes, vehicles and vessels. - The complaint alleges deficiencies in inspection and corrosion-management practices. - The amended complaint asserts negligence, premises liability, strict liability, private nuisance, public nuisance, trespass to land and trespass to chattels. - Not every claim is asserted against every defendant. - The complaint states no personal-injury cause of action is asserted. - The proposed Real Property Class would cover people and entities that owned or lawfully occupied real property in the defined area during Oct. 2-3, 2025. - The proposed Personal Property Class would cover people and entities that owned or lawfully possessed a motor vehicle, marine vessel or other tangible personal property located outdoors in that area during the same period. - The defined area includes locations outside the refinery within 10 statute miles of the nearest point on the refinery boundary as it existed on Oct. 2, 2025. - The complaint says the area extends in every direction and includes the communities closest to the refinery. - Under the pleading, class membership does not depend on proof of deposition, damage or loss. - The Personal Property Class is based on where the property was located, not where the owner receives mail. - The complaint says the 10-mile boundary is a pleading-stage definition that plaintiffs plan to refine before certification. - The fire was widely reported, including by ABC7 Los Angeles in a report published Oct. 3, 2025 titled "Massive fire erupts at Chevron refinery in El Segundo". - The amended complaint and case information are available at the case page. - People may submit information for attorney review at the intake site.

Between the lines: - The proposed class definitions are broad and appear designed to capture alleged fallout beyond the refinery fence line. - The filing focuses on property harm, not personal injury, which narrows the litigation compared with many industrial-disaster cases. - The complaint’s reliance on alleged inspection and corrosion failures signals a liability theory aimed at operational practices, not only the fire event itself.

What's next: - A judge must still decide whether any class can be certified. - The complaint says the plaintiffs will seek to refine the proposed boundary before certification. - Any claims, damages or liability findings will depend on proof and court rulings in the pending case.

The bottom line: - The amended filing turns the El Segundo refinery fire into a potentially wide-ranging property-damage class action, but the case is still at the pleading stage.