EXCLUSIVE – Like California wildfires continue to burn, several popular TV judges say they are ready to see some consequences.
Wildfires in California have burned countless homes and claimed more than 20 lives since this week. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom took the brunt of the blame after the destruction. Some argue that leaders failed to provide enough funding for the fire, while others blasted Bass for taking international trips amid the inferno and cutting the city’s fire department budget by millions.
Adam Levy and Tanya Acker, judges on Amazon Freevee’s “Tribunal Justice,” said for Fox News Digital they want to see some accountability. Judge Patricia DiMango serves as the third judge on the “Tribunal Justice” panel.
“I know a number of people whose homes have burned to the ground,” Acker said. “And I know communities that have been on fire or worse… It’s just a really tough time.”
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Wind whips up embers as a firefighter battles a blaze in the Angeles National Forest near Mt. Wilson as wildfires rage in the Los Angeles area during the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., on January 9, 2025. (REUTERS/Ringo Chiu)
Acker explained that she felt “blessed and happy” because she only had to evacuate briefly and was able to return to her home.
Levy, son of Judge Judywho works as a creator on “Tribunal Justice,” said he hopes to see a couple of lawsuits after Hell.
“I hope so,” he told Fox News Digital. “I am. But, you know, the problem is that when lawsuits are filed, like the lawsuit that was filed recently down in New Orleans and the Bourbon Street massacre, if there’s a verdict, if you can overcome the issues of sovereign immunity and if you can overcome the issues third-party liability for criminal behavior, right, third-party and predictability issues that always come into play, taxpayers choose I think that system has to change.”
The “Palisades Fire” near the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States on January 11, 2025. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
One lawsuit there is appeared against Southern California Edison in response to the Eaton fire. Law firms McNicholas & McNicholas, Becker Law Group and Singleton Schreiber filed the lawsuit on behalf of victims affected by the fire, alleging that Southern California Edison failed to comply with essential electrical and fire safety standards, including failure to maintain power lines and overgrown vegetation, Fox 11 reports. The lawsuit called it “gross negligence.”
Levy pointed the finger at public officials who he said “know they are immune from any liability” and will “do whatever it takes to stay in office.”
“Despite the fact that the decisions they make put most of their constituents at risk,” Levy said. “You have to. That’s my feeling. And that’s coming from me. And I was a former prosecutor. I set the policy. I set my budget and I’ve always done it with the safety of my constituents in mind… And unfortunately, there are People , there are politicians who do not hesitate to do the wrong thing as long as they are more likely to be re-elected. We have to make sure that public officials have skin in the game, and the only way we do that is by changing tort laws.”
Acker said she hopes people don’t start dragging L.A. into a really divisive national debate, but she agreed people have a right to ask questions California leadership.
“There’s a difference between trying to dig in and find the root cause of something and just trying to score political points,” Acker said. “I don’t think the latter is helpful, but that doesn’t mean that… We have to understand how and why this happened. And people have to be held accountable for the decisions they made or didn’t make. And, you know, we have to make sure that we better protect this community in the future, well, you know, tough questions need to be asked, and I think it’s time to continue that for the foreseeable future because there’s a lot to figure out here.”
Adam Levy, right, is the son of Judge Judy Sheindlin and stars with Judge Tanya Acker and Judge Patricia DiMango on “Tribunal Justice.” (Michael Becker/Amazon Freevee)
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“I think we need to have a really rigorous investigation into what happened to prevent this from happening again,” she added later. “And we really have to dig in and help these communities rebuild.”
As regards reports that they are robbers began to exploit communities in flames, Acker held nothing back.
“I can’t think of anything more despicable than trying to take away homes and properties that are devastated, victimizing people who are already going through one of the worst times of their lives,” Acker told Fox Digital. “I can’t think of anything more despicable… I’m glad our district attorney has indicated that his office is going to take a strong stand, a strong stand against those who rob people. And I mean, I can only think of nothing more despicable.”
Santa Monica police have arrested 39 people in evacuation zones since the Palisades fire started, SMPD told Fox News. The suspects were caught with daggers, window breakers, masks, gloves and narcotics and other “burglary tools,” according to police.
“This community is really going through one of the worst times in its history. And to make that pain worse by victimizing people,” Acker continued. “And simply – I can’t, I have no words for it. And I hope that those who engage in such activities will be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.”
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The second season of “Tribunal Justice” debuts on Prime Video on Monday, January 27.
