The family of a man who drowned while paddleboarding at Lake Castaic has petitioned the Los Angeles County Superior Court for permission to pursue a wrongful death claim against the County of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department, and the State of California after learning nine months later that a lifeguard allegedly should have been on duty at the location where the incident occurred.  

According to the petition, 61-year-old Espiridion Philip Camez drowned on June 1, 2025, while paddleboarding on Lake Castaic. News reports indicate that Camez and a companion were paddleboarding when strong afternoon winds overturned both boards. The companion, who was wearing a life jacket, was rescued after a 911 call reporting two people in the water. Camez, who reportedly was not wearing a life jacket, could not be located despite an extensive search by first responders. Rescue efforts ultimately became a recovery operation.

The petition alleges that the family knew little about the circumstances surrounding Camez’s death following the incident. According to the filing, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department issued a Missing Persons Bulletin after the incident, and the family had no reason to suspect negligence or request investigative reports from either the Sheriff’s Department or the Fire Department.  

The petition states that everything changed on March 24, 2026, when family members allegedly learned from a source within the Los Angeles County lifeguard system that a lifeguard was supposed to have been assigned to the dock adjacent to the paddleboard area and was responsible for monitoring swimmers and paddleboarders. The petition alleges that no lifeguard, rescue vessel, or other safety personnel were present or attentive when Camez entered the water.  

The petition to file a late claim emphasizes that the family did not learn of the alleged absence of a required lifeguard until after California’s six-month deadline for presenting government claims had expired. According to the filing, the family retained counsel within weeks of learning that information, and counsel promptly submitted government claims and applications for leave to file late claims. After the County denied those applications, the family filed the present petition seeking judicial permission to proceed.  

The criteria needed to grant the petition for late filing is set forth in California Government Code § 946.6. The family must establish two threshold requirements:

1. The application to the public entity for leave to present a late claim was made within one year after the cause of action accrued (Gov. Code § 911.4(b)); and
2. The public entity denied (or was deemed to have denied) that application.

If those prerequisites are met, the court must determine whether one of the statutory grounds for relief exists. The most common ground is mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or excusable neglect. Other statutory grounds include minority or physical/mental incapacity, but those are not at issue here.

The proposed substantive claims allege that the governmental defendants failed to adequately staff and supervise the swimming and paddleboarding area, failed to provide lifeguards and rescue personnel, and created or maintained a dangerous condition of public property. The family seeks wrongful death and survival damages arising from Camez’s drowning.

Incidentally, the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Division is part of the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s organizational structure and reports through the department’s chain of command. The division protects approximately 72 miles of coastline, and certain inland waterways, including Castaic Lake. The lifeguards were not always part of the Fire Department. Prior to July 1, 1994, they were part of the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors. They were transferred to the Fire Department as part of a county reorganization. 

Here is a copy of the petition.