Fourteen plaintiffs filed a first amended class action complaint on September 15, 2026 against Chevron U.S.A. Inc. and Chevron Corporation in Coffey v. Chevron U.S.A. Inc., et al., Case No. 2:25-cv-09699, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. All allegations are subject to proof, and no class has been certified.
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Trujillo & Winnick LLP has filed a first amended class action complaint on behalf of fourteen plaintiffs arising from the October 2, 2025 fire at Chevron's El Segundo refinery.
The amended complaint was filed September 15, 2026 as Document 38 in Coffey v. Chevron U.S.A. Inc., et al., Case No. 2:25-cv-09699, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. It names Chevron U.S.A. Inc. and Chevron Corporation as defendants. All statements below are drawn from that filed court document.
The underlying incident was widely reported. ABC7 Los Angeles reported on the fire in "Massive fire erupts at Chevron refinery in El Segundo," published October 3, 2025 (https://abc7.com/post/explosion-reported-chevrons-el-segundo-refinery/17927991/).
According to the amended complaint, process material released at the refinery on the night of October 2, 2025 and ignited into a major fire, and soot, ash, and oily residue then settled on homes, vehicles, vessels, and other property in surrounding communities. The complaint alleges failures in inspection and corrosion-management practices and seeks relief for property damage and for interference with the use and enjoyment of property.
The amended complaint asserts claims for 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 matter is pleaded as a property case; the amended complaint asserts no personal-injury cause of action.
The proposed classes
As pleaded in Document 38, the amended complaint proposes a class of persons and entities that owned or held a lawful possessory right to occupy real property in a defined area, and a class of persons and entities that owned or lawfully possessed a motor vehicle, marine vessel, or other tangible personal property located outdoors in that area, in each case during October 2–3, 2025.
The complaint defines that area as every location outside the refinery within ten statute miles, measured horizontally, of the nearest point on the refinery's outer boundary as it existed on October 2, 2025. As pleaded, the area is not a ring around the refinery: it extends in every direction and includes the communities closest to it.
Two features of the pleaded definitions bear on whether the case concerns a particular property owner. As pleaded, membership does not depend on proof of deposition, damage, or loss. And membership turns on where the property was located, not on where its owner receives mail.
These descriptions summarize allegations in the filed complaint. The complaint's own definitions, exclusions, and proposed representatives control, and the area is pleaded as a provisional boundary that plaintiffs expect to refine before any certification ruling.
Case status
No class has been certified. Class certification requires a court order, and inclusion in a proposed class does not establish liability or an entitlement to recovery. This release is not a court-approved class notice. No court has determined liability, and no defendant has been adjudged responsible for any harm.
Case information, and the amended complaint itself, are available at https://tru-win.com/cases/chevron/. Information may be submitted for attorney review at https://chevronrefinerycase.com/. Submitting information does not create an attorney-client relationship; representation begins only after a written engagement agreement.
About Trujillo & Winnick LLP
Trujillo & Winnick LLP is a California plaintiff-side civil litigation firm based in Los Angeles. The firm is led by managing partner Anthony W. Trujillo (California State Bar No. 248860) and founding partner Alexander H. Winnick (California State Bar No. 239430), and Carlos J. Rosario (California State Bar No. 280678) serves as of counsel. The firm represents the plaintiffs in this action.
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Attorney Advertising. Responsible attorney: Anthony W. Trujillo, California State Bar No. 248860, Trujillo & Winnick LLP, 6080 Center Drive, Suite 600, Los Angeles, CA 90045. This release describes allegations in pending litigation, sourced to the first amended complaint filed as Document 38 in Case No. 2:25-cv-09699. All allegations are subject to proof and have not been adjudicated. No class has been certified and no court has determined liability or damages. Past results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
Media Contact
Anthony W. Trujillo, Esq., Trujillo & Winnick LLP, 1 310-870-1719, [email protected], https://tru-win.com/
Carlos Rosario, Esq., 1 310-870-1719, [email protected], https://tru-win.com/
SOURCE Trujillo & Winnick LLP
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