Taylor vs. City of Los Angeles & LADWP: Verified Complaint Exposes Hazardous Power, Toxic Air, and Retaliation in South L.A.

The Sovereign Record provides public notice of a 20-page verified complaint and a 300+ page exhibit packet documenting stray electrical current, toxic indoor air, retaliatory vehicle impounds, and systemic CPRA obstruction at W. 60th Place, Los Angeles.

1. Case Overview

On November 27, 2025, Daevon J. Taylor filed a Verified Complaint in the Los Angeles Superior Court, case number 25STCV34503, against the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP), LADOT, and fifty unnamed “DOE” defendants.

link to verified complaint

taylorvlacity,ladot,does1-50-zverifiedcomplaint.pdf

Download PDF • 10.27MB

The lawsuit alleges that for more than a year, Taylor’s home at W. 60th Place has been subjected to:

• Dangerous stray and objectionable electrical current on grounding conductors and metal water piping

• Reverse power flow and power-quality disturbances damaging appliances and infrastructure

• Toxic air-quality events inside the home (CO, NO₂, NH₃, H₂S, and extreme TVOCs)

• Retaliatory conduct by City agencies, including vehicle impounds and a power shutoff, after Taylor began filing complaints, CPRA requests, and a government claim

• A coordinated pattern of withholding records, obstructing investigations, and ignoring life-safety hazards

  
  

The complaint is backed by a large exhibit packet (Exhibits A–S) containing sensor data, photographs, medical referrals, technical literature, CPRA correspondence, and invoices documenting continuous damages.

2. The People and Agencies Involved

According to the complaint:

• Plaintiff: Daevon J. Taylor – long-term occupant and beneficial interest holder of the property, appearing in propria persona.

  
  

Co-Occupant:A woman identified as Jane Doe, a brain-tumor survivor, who has lived at the property since early 2025 and experiences severe neurological and respiratory symptoms tied to environmental events at the home.

Defendants:

• City of Los Angeles – municipal corporation and public entity

• LADWP – municipal utility responsible for electric service and safety

• LADOT and other City agencies – alleged to have engaged in retaliatory vehicle impounds and enforcement actions

• DOES 1–50 – unknown individuals and entities, including officers, employees, contractors, and third parties linked to the hazardous conditions and retaliation.

  
  

3. Central Allegations: Energized Grounds, Toxic Air, and Retaliation

3.1 Continuous Stray / Objectionable Current

Taylor alleges that the home’s grounding and plumbing systems have been carrying sustained current in the range of 0.3–4.0 amps, with recorded ground-line power between roughly 40–150 watts on the bonded water line – despite the fact that grounding conductors are only supposed to carry current during fault events.

These patterns, documented in Exhibit A and related charts, are framed as:

• “Objectionable current” under NEC/CEC 250.6(A) – expressly prohibited by electrical code

• A shock hazard on accessible metal surfaces, especially in wet areas

• A source of accelerated corrosion and infrastructure damage

• Evidence of neutral-to-ground faults, backfeed, or external utility defects rather than anything caused by normal loads in the house.

  
  

The complaint states that LADWP has been notified repeatedly of these measurements and has refused to perform full, certified power-quality testing or to remediate the conditions.

3.2 Toxic Indoor Air and “Surge Events”

Using multiple sensor channels logged through ThingSpeak, Taylor documents indoor spikes of:

• Carbon Monoxide (CO) up to around 3.59 ppm

• Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂) up to 59 ppb indoors

• Ammonia (NH₃) around 3.59 ppm

• Hydrogen Sulfide (H₂S) raw sensor counts in the 1,000+ range at the basement and front door

• TVOCs (total volatile organic compounds) in the 6,000–7,000+ ppb range inside the home

• Equivalent CO₂ (eCO₂) above 2,000 ppm, indicating poor ventilation and pollutant buildup.

  
  

These peaks coincide with:

• Measured ground current surges

• Strange humidity spikes

• Mechanical stress and surge events on refrigerators and freezers, including repeated 830–860W power spikes captured by smart-plug logs in Exhibit C.

  
  

The complaint links these conditions to:

• Headaches, chest tightness, muscle spasms, and neurological symptoms in both Taylor and Jane Doe

• Long-term risk of chronic respiratory and cardiovascular disease

• Loss of habitability under Health & Safety Code §§ 17920.3 & 17920.10.

  
  

3.3 Evidence of Neighbor Activity and Potential Shared-Grounding Interference

The exhibits also document:

• Drilling, metallic impacts, and structural activity next door that allegedly correlate with ground-current spikes and indoor symptoms

• High electric-field readings in ceiling and attic conduits

• A pattern suggesting improper shared grounding, cross-property interference, or covert wiring that routes objectionable current through Taylor’s property.

  
  

3.4 CPRA Obstruction and Withheld Technical Records

A major part of the case involves the California Public Records Act (CPRA).

The Exhibit Index and CPRA timeline show:

• Numerous CPRA requests to LADWP, LADOT, LAPD, the City Attorney, and City Clerk for:

  • Power-quality data

  • Neutral-to-ground and stray-voltage records

  • Records of any smart-grid, power-line communication (PLC), RF, or monitoring equipment tied to the property

  • Documents describing a June 5, 2024 raid and any subsequent installations.

    
    

LADWP responded in September 2025 admitting that responsive records exist regarding PLC/smart-grid systems, but still withheld the records, pushing the disclosure date out while hazards continued.

The complaint alleges this pattern of delay and non-production violates Gov. Code §§ 7922.535, 7923.115, and is part of a larger scheme to:

• Hide utility faults and installations

• Block Taylor from obtaining the data needed to prove his case

• Wear him down financially and emotionally.

  
  

3.5 Retaliatory Vehicle Impounds and Enforcement

Beyond the home itself, the Verified Complaint alleges that after Taylor began filing formal Government Claim C26-05830 and CPRA demands, the City escalated retaliation:

• Retaliatory vehicle impounds by LADOT and towing contractors

• Use of enforcement powers to punish him for asserting his rights

• Coordination with prior LAPD actions, including a June 5, 2024 raid, as part of a broader pattern of harassment.

  
  

These events are tied into causes of action for:

• Intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED)

• Civil-rights retaliation under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and the Bane Act (Civ. Code § 52.1).

  
  

3.6 Post-Disconnection Evidence: Power Cut but Hazards Remain

One of the most alarming parts of the filing is Exhibit P, which documents measurements taken after LADWP disconnected power to the property on November 18, 2025.

According to the complaint and exhibits:

• Even with the home’s branch circuits and main service shut down, clamp-meter readings still showed 0.3–0.9 amps of current on the grounding electrode system and incoming water line

• This confirms that the stray current is not coming from inside the house but is entering from external utility infrastructure or shared systems.

  
  

The Verified Complaint argues that this post-disconnection evidence proves:

• LADWP’s shutoff was not a safety remedy, but a retaliatory move that left the occupants without essential utilities while the underlying hazard continued

• The danger now extends to the surrounding neighborhood because the same infrastructure fault likely affects nearby customers and public property.

  
  

4. The Exhibit Packet: A Forensic Record of a Hazardous Environment

The Exhibit Packet (Exhibits A–S) functions like a technical case file. Highlights from the Exhibit Index include:

• Exhibit A – Government Claim No. C26-05830:Continuous government claim documenting energized grounds, reverse-power flow, toxic air, and a daily damages framework.

• Exhibit B – CPRA Timeline & Agency Responses:Chronological record of CPRA requests, delayed determinations, partial responses, and withheld records.

• Exhibit C – LED Recessed Light Damage:Photos and analysis of scorched circuitry, melted solder joints, and destroyed components consistent with over-voltage and EMI.

• Exhibit D – Neighbor Activity Documentation:Events at the adjacent property (drilling, metallic impacts, structural disturbances) correlated with ground-current spikes and indoor anomalies.

• Exhibit E – High Electric-Field Readings:E-field measurements around ceiling fixtures and attic conduits showing abnormal electrical activity.

• Exhibit F – September 7, 2025 Ground-Current Event:Screenshot/video capturing a 2.28-amp ground-current event — far beyond safe thresholds.

• Exhibits G & H – Refrigerator Surge Logs & Audio:Smart-plug power graphs and audio comparisons of compressor behavior during low vs. high surge events.

• Exhibit I – Muscle Contraction Documentation:Video evidence of involuntary muscle spasms in Taylor during stray-current / chemical events.

• Exhibit J – Technical Literature on Stray & Objectionable Current:California Electrical Code sections, an E&S Grounding Solutions article, and a Michigan State University bulletin on neutral-to-earth voltage and health impacts.

• Exhibit K – Medical Referral Packet:Specialist referrals in pulmonology, cardiology, ENT, thyroid, and environmental exposure following these events.

• Exhibits L–O – Notices, Qualified Written Requests, and CPRA Responses:Urgent hazard notices to LADWP, records of unreturned calls about inspector contact, a formal power-quality information request, and LADWP’s acknowledgment of PLC/smart-grid records that remain withheld.

• Exhibit P – Post-Disconnection Ground-Current Evidence:Photos and measurements taken after LADWP cut power, showing continued current on grounds and water lines.

• Exhibit Q – Request to Locate LADWP Inspector:Emails to LADWP’s 315.ESR team asking them simply to send out the inspector to approve a completed panel upgrade.

• Exhibit R – RF Detection at LADWP Analog Meter & Fixtures:Video evidence of RF emissions at the analog meter and ceiling fixtures.

• Exhibit S – CSV Data Exports:Full air-quality, ground-current, temperature, and humidity log exports from multiple ThingSpeak channels.

  
  

Together, these exhibits tell a story of hard data, not just complaints – a pattern of dangerous measurements, health impacts, and agency inaction.

Direct Link to Exhibits

verifiedcomplaintexhibits-(exhibit-index-and-exA-S_ocr-searchable).pdf

Download PDF • 50.09MB

5. Legal Theories: From Utility Negligence to Civil Rights

The Verified Complaint pleads multiple causes of action, including:

• Negligence / Utility Safety (Statutory & Common Law)

• Dangerous Condition of Public Property (Gov. Code § 835)

• Private and Public Nuisance (Civ. Code §§ 3479–3480)

• Inverse Condemnation (for property taken/damaged by public utility works)

• Habitability Violations (H&S Code §§ 17920.3, 17920.10)

• Failure to Perform Mandatory Duties (Gov. Code § 815.6)

• Intentional and Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress (IIED / NIED)

• CPRA Violations and Retaliation (Gov. Code §§ 7922.535, 7923.115)

• Civil Rights Violations and Retaliation under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and the Bane Act

At the core, Taylor argues that the City and LADWP:

1. Knew about hazardous electrical and environmental conditions;

2. Failed to investigate and remediate them;

3. Withheld records that would expose the faults;

4. Punished him for insisting on safety and transparency.

6. Why This Case Matters Beyond One Address

Although the complaint focuses on 1505 W. 60th Place, the allegations go far beyond a single property:

• The same distribution circuits, transformers, and neutral/ground systems that feed this home also serve nearby homes and public spaces.

• The stray-current patterns and toxic air events could indicate systemic defects in local infrastructure or smart-grid/PLC deployments.

• The retaliation and CPRA obstruction raise concerns about how Los Angeles handles residents who document infrastructure failures with data instead of just calling customer service.

If proven, the case would show not a one-off mistake, but a pattern of negligence, concealment, and retaliation across multiple City departments.

7. What’s Next

As of this posting:

• The Verified Complaint and full Exhibit Packet A–S have been filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.

• Taylor is actively seeking emergency relief to restore safe utility service, require proper power-quality and safety testing, and stop further retaliation.

• The Sovereign Record will continue to publish filings, orders, and new evidence as this litigation develops.

8. Public Notice & Invitation to Review the Record

This post serves as public notice that:

• The allegations described above are now before the court in case no. 25STCV34503.

• All attached exhibits—sensor logs, photographs, medical documentation, CPRA correspondence, and technical literature—are available for public review via The Sovereign Record’s document archive.

Readers, journalists, technical experts, and community advocates are encouraged to:

• Review the complaint and exhibits in full

• Compare the raw data (ThingSpeak channels, CSV logs, photos) with the City’s responses

• Share insights, expertise, or similar experiences involving stray current, power quality, or CPRA obstruction in Los Angeles

RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR JOURNALISTS

We can provide:

✔ Full Verified Complaint ✔ Full Exhibit Packet (A–S) ✔ Raw sensor logs (ThingSpeak channels) ✔ Pre- and post-disconnection electrical measurements ✔ Videos and photos ✔ Interviews with the resident and brain tumor survivor ) ✔ A timeline of related cases and alleged retaliation across agencies with evidence ✔ Specialist medical summaries

If your newsroom wishes to pursue this, we can offer exclusive interviews, an embargoed briefing, or additional records.

Please let me know how you’d like to proceed.

Sincerely,

 Press Coordination Team

 The Sovereign Record

Email: admin@thesovereignrecord.org

Text: 562-751-2234