59-year-old Willis Moore was working as the garage manager at a four-story parking garage in lower Manhattan when the building collapsed, trapping and ultimately killing him. The plaintiffs, both family members of Mr. Moore, allege that the company that owns the garage and those who ran it ignored safety concerns from city officials about several structural and damage problems with the garage, ultimately leading to injuries, dozens of wrecked vehicles, and the untimely death of Mr. Moore.
“We believe that the garage owners prioritized profits over people,” said Benedict Morelli, the firm’s founding partner. “This incident could have been entirely preventable had the defendants done the right thing and fixed the garage like they were instructed by safety officials to do.”
The plaintiffs allege that the owners of the garage had been made aware of the garage’s unsafe state several times. They were given six violations from the New York City Department of Buildings that were still open at the time of the building collapse, with some dating back as far as 2003.
This includes a violation for failing to maintain the building from when an inspector noticed first-floor cracks in the ceiling slab of the parking garage. The Department of Buildings stated that the building was required to remedy these violations, but the plaintiffs allege that these dangerous conditions were never fixed.
The garage installed lifts to help improve capacity and allow for more parked cars inside. Along with an increase in electric vehicles, which are heavier than gas vehicles due to their heavy electric motors and batteries, the plaintiffs believe that the garage’s decision to overpack the building ultimately led to the collapse.
“Ultimately, what we hope to see from this case is justice for the Moore family,” said David Sirotkin, another partner at Morelli Law. “Someone needs to be held accountable for what happened, and we believe that the defendant, due to the lack of action taken on the building, is responsible.”
About Morelli Law Firm
Morelli Law Firm, based in New York City, is the preeminent firm for all civil litigation. Their world-class lawyers have over 40 years of combined legal experience and a proven track record of success. To date, they’ve secured numerous precedent-setting verdicts and settlements that have helped countless families obtain billions in compensation which they both need and deserve.
For more information about Morelli Law Firm, visit here.
Call or text 877-751-9800 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
