By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services via Arizona Daily Star
The state’s highest court won’t let homeowners burned out by the Yarnell Hill Fire sue the state for negligence.
And that, according to an attorney for those affected, has bad implications for others who own property throughout the state.
Without comment, the Arizona Supreme Court has spurned a request by the lawyers for those who lost buildings in the 2013 blaze. The lawyers claimed they should be able to make their case to a jury that the state, which was trying to contain the wildfire that started on public lands, also had a duty to protect their property. More to the point, David Abney said they were required to do so in a fashion that was not negligent.