NEED TO KNOW
L.A. homeowner Teva Dresbach claims Kat Von D’s alleged negligence with candles caused a fire that damaged his family’s Hollywood Hills property 16 years ago
Von D denies responsibility, alleging the fire was caused by faulty wiring and that she also suffered significant losses
Dresbach says he is speaking out now to hold Von D accountable and share his late mother’s untold story
A Los Angeles homeowner is accusing LA Ink alum Kat Von D of burning down a family property nearly 16 years ago, and he says he’s speaking out now because “celebrities should be held truly accountable for their actions.”
Teva Dresbach, who claims to have inherited the Hollywood Hills Castle rental property from his mom Deborah, took to social media on Wednesday, June 10, to recount his family’s alleged experience with the tattoo artist and beauty mogul, 44, beginning in 2008.
He claims that year, his mom had agreed to rent the property to Von D, and everything was “fine” to start. However, during one visit, Teva says he met Von D and witnessed her allegedly “bizarre” lifestyle. “There were candles everywhere,” he claims in a TikTok. “Candles of all sizes — big, small, wide, every single corner, every mantle, down the steps, along the walls — really everywhere.”
He goes on to claim that the house later “burned,” and alleges that arson investigators found the cause was a “candle fire.”
Damage done to Kat Von D’s rental home due to a fire in 2010.
Credit: Kat Von D/Facebook
“There were holes throughout the hardwood floors, smoke damage in the entire home, the only reason that it stood was because it’s made from stone,” Teva alleges.
Damage done to Kat Von D’s rental home from a fire in 2010.
Credit: Kat Von D/Facebook
He claims his family later reached a settlement with Von D; however, the deal allegedly required his mother to sign an non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that prohibited her from talking about the incident. Since Teva was a kid at the time, he says he was never required to sign anything barring him from speaking out.
“I want to be abundantly clear about something: my mom passed due to cancer,” he says. “Our family believes that the stress of the fires and the restoration process and the lawsuit is truly what brought it back with such vengeance.”
He adds: “When you have to deal with people like this, it really does strip off years and I believe that I watched that happen with my own mom in real time.”
On Friday, June 12, Von D took to TikTok to respond to the allegations.
She admitted to renting the Los Angeles home from Deborah over 16 years ago. However, she claims she wasn’t in the home when the fire happened. Instead, Von D claims it was an “electrical fire” that occurred in the basement due to “faulty wires.” She claims to have brought the wiring to Deborah’s attention, but alleged the homeowner only sent out her untrained husband to work on it.
Kat Von D on TikTok
Credit: Kat Von D/TikTok
Von D further claims she wasn’t the only one who suffered damages in the fire. She says she lost “all my clothes, my computers, my hard drives, all my photos” as well as her “little kitten Valentine,” which TODAY reported on in November 2010.
The star further claims she never required Deborah to sign an NDA; instead, she alleges, it was a document she previously gave landlords documents to sign to prevent them from tipping information to tabloids. Von D also called Teva’s claims that the stress from the alleged fire, renovations and lawsuit worsened Deborah’s condition “unfair.”
“I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose a mother that you’re so close with, but at the same time, I didn’t set the house on fire,” Von D says. “This was a tragedy and it was out of both of our controls and I would never wish that on anybody.”
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Teva addressed why he is speaking out about the incident now. “Well, it wasn’t my story to tell so long as my mom was here, it was hers. And she fought so hard for years, to be my mom while facing the threat of losing everything she worked for. All because the person who negligently left candles burning didn’t want to admit it,” he claims. “If she had it her way, she’d have taken everything from us, and left us with nothing. Not even an ounce of compensation. And certainly not an apology.”
He adds: “I’m telling the story because I believe some stories deserve to be told. No need to justify that.”
PEOPLE has reached out to representatives for Von D, but did not immediately hear back.
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In May 2012, State Farm insurance filed a civil complaint in a Los Angeles Superior Court against Von D, whose real name is Katherine von Drachenberg, alleging negligence and breach of contract.
In the documents, obtained by PEOPLE, State Farm claims Von D “caused multiple candles to be lit within the premises” on Nov. 21, 2010. The incident allgedly led to an insurance payout of $909,199.49. However, upon State Farm’s investigation into the fire, they determined Von D to be liable, per the complaint.
In June 2013, State Farm filed a notice of settlement, dropping the lawsuit against Von D. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed. PEOPLE has reached out to State Farm for comment.
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