Lawsuits filed against New York City in deadly Legionnaires' outbreak in Harlem
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Four new lawsuits filed Thursday against New York City are seeking accountability for last summer's deadly Legionnaires' outbreak in Harlem.
There were 118 cases and seven people died in what officials say was the city's worst outbreak in nearly a decade.
Health officials traced the legionella bacteria to a dozen cooling towers in the neighborhood, including Harlem Hospital, which is part of the NYC Health and Hospitals network.
The lawsuits allege the city was slow to test and treat the towers and failed to warn local residents they could be exposed.
"An outbreak of this magnitude does not happen in a vacuum, public health safeguards exist for a reason and when they are not followed, families, workers and entire communities bear the consequences," attorney Benjamin Crump said.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, but attorneys say it's about justice and to ensure Harlem is protected from any future outbreak.
A spokesman for the NYC Law Department released a statement saying, "Protecting public health and safety is at the center of the City's response. We will carefully review these cases."
The lawsuits are not connected to the most recent Legionnaires' disease outbreak on the Upper East Side that also resulted in seven deaths.
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