Jonathan Rinderknecht Palisades fire retrial details emerge

A federal judge has tentatively ruled that jurors in the upcoming retrial of Jonathan Rinderknecht will be barred from considering whether the Los Angeles Fire Department failed to adequately extinguish the initial blaze that sparked the devastating Palisades Fire. U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang indicated she may instruct the jury to disregard evidence regarding the adequacy of fire suppression efforts, a move that follows a June mistrial where jurors deadlocked 10 to 2 in favor of acquittal.

Prosecutors have issued a revised indictment that narrows the scope of one charge to focus on damage from the initial Lachman fire on January 1, 2025, while a second count seeks to hold Rinderknecht responsible for both the Lachman and Palisades fires. Rinderknecht, 30, has pleaded not guilty and remains in federal custody.

Defense attorney Steve Haney noted that video evidence of testing conducted on a green Bic barbecue lighter—the alleged ignition source—will be central to the trial. Haney questioned why the testing was performed eleven months after the fire and nine months after the arrest, arguing that the prosecution must prove the lighter could ignite brush without accelerants.