Lawsuits roll in following Lower Manhattan deadly parking garage collapse
LOWER MANHATTAN - Less than two weeks since the deadly parking garage collapse in Lower Manhattan, three lawsuits have already been filed, including one for the amount of $100 million.
The massive lawsuit is a class-action filing on behalf of two car owners, who were not injured, but accused the owners and operators of 57 Ann St. of negligence and a reckless disregard for human life and property.
"We're talking about upkeep," Migir Ilganayev, who represents the two car owners, told FOX 5 NY. "We're talking about failure to comply with certain violations that were issued. We're talking about people complaining to them about the ceiling dust coming over, the ceilings, leaks, water leaking into people's cars, and nobody did anything about it."
April 18 deadly collapse
The April 18 collapse killed the manager of the garage and injured five others.
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According to city officials, there were over 50 SUVs on the roof at the time of the collapse. They said the weight was too much for the structure to bear.
Around 200 cars were parked inside at the time, and none of them were recoverable as the city moved to demolish the building since its structural integrity was compromised.
FOX 5 NY asked Ilganayev how he arrived at the $100 million calculation when the cars the two drivers owned were worth less than about $100,000 brand new, and when the car owners have insurance.
"It's not just the car. Just look what was inside of the cars," Ilganayev said. "It has value, and, you know, again, punitive damages. I'm holding these people accountable, whether it's the landlord, the operators, whoever it is."
Additional lawsuits
The two other lawsuits filed against the building owners and operators are reportedly by an employee at the garage who survived. The other is by a Bronx man who claims he was injured in the collapse.
The company that operates the parking garage is Little Man Parking. FOX 5 NY reached out to the company. They responded saying they have no comment at the time.