The Palisades Fire jury is deadlocked, creating the possibility of a lawsuit in LA

Jurors in the trial of the man accused of starting the 2025 Palisades Fire in California told a judge Thursday that the panel was deadlocked — shortly after saying earlier it had reached a verdict.

The announcement came on the second day of hearings in the case against Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, following a 10-day federal trial over the fire. The massacre is the deadliest in Los Angeles County history and claimed at least a dozen lives.

The letter sent by the chief justice to the judge initially revealed that the panel had reached a decision. However, a second note sent a few minutes later said the opposite.

“We have people on both sides who are dead. They are not wavering. We are standing still. We don’t know how to continue,” the paper reads.

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In response, the judge asked the judge what the court could do to help them.

“For example, would additional instructions or a re-reading of any evidence assist the jury in their deliberations?” asked the judge.

“There is nothing the court can do to assist the jurors in their deliberations. Additional instructions or re-reading the evidence will not help the deliberations. Unfortunately, we cannot reach a unanimous decision,” replied the judge.

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Both the prosecution and the defense agreed they needed more time to research legal options after the jury’s latest review. The judge finally ordered the jurors to return to continue the trial at 9 am on Friday.

An aerial view shows fire damage caused by the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Jan. 22, 2025. (Mike Blake/Reuters)

A deadlocked jury can eventually lead to a mistrial. Federal prosecutors will have to decide whether to retry Rinderknecht, who is charged with vandalism, arson, and burning of timber. He pleaded not guilty.

Federal prosecutors say Rinderknecht was driven by anger, loneliness, and a thirst for revenge against the wealthy when he allegedly started what would become the Palisades Fire.

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Fire crews respond to damaged homes while a helicopter descends over water as the Palisades Fire grows in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Jan. 7, 2025. (Photos by David Swanson/AFP/Getty)

The fire started shortly after midnight on Jan. 1, 2025, in a remote, heavy brush area in the Pacific Palisades area. That first fire was called the Lachman Fire.

Firefighters rushed to the scene on New Year’s Eve and believe they have successfully extinguished the fire. However, investigators later discovered that the fire was not completely extinguished and instead continued to smolder underground.

On the 7th of Jan. 2025, strong Santa Ana winds blew coal underground and caused a fire to appear on the surface. Driven by strong winds and severe drought, the fire exploded into the Palisades Fire, eventually burning more than 23,000 acres and destroying approximately 6,800 structures, many of them homes.

A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire as it burns homes along the Pacific Coast Highway during a wind storm in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2025. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

Assistant U.S. Attorney Danbee Kim told jurors during closing arguments Tuesday that the Palisades neighborhood represents the wealth divide across the country in Rinderknecht, noting that the defendant “has a deep-seated belief that the rich are ruining the world.”

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Defense attorney Steven Haney said there was no physical evidence linking Rinderknecht to the vandalism and argued that the Lachman and Palisades fires were completely separate incidents that had nothing to do with his client, FOX Los Angeles reported.