"Ghost Ship" Oakland Fire Lawsuit UPDATE News Conference NOON TUESDAY Victims' Lead Attorney Mary Alexander, Victims' Families and additional counsels
NEWS CONFERENCE FOLLOWING FILING OF NEW MASTER COMPLAINT AND MASTER CLAIMS: Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at Noon, STEPS OF ALAMEDA COUNTY COURTHOUSE, 1225 Fallon Street, Oakland, CA 94612
NEW ALLEGATIONS AND MORE VICTIMS FILING ADDED TO LAWSUIT REGARDING 36 DEATHS, MOST OF ANY CALIF. FIRE SINCE 1906 SF EARTHQUAKE
May 15, 2017, 08:00 ET
OAKLAND, Calif., May 15, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Update on "Ghost Ship" lawsuit – filing of Master Complaint and Master Claims with new allegations, Tuesday, May 16, with a news conference at Noon. 36 died in the blaze.
New allegations are being added to the "Ghost Ship" Oakland fire cases, says Mary Alexander, San Francisco attorney, former National President of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, now called the Association for American Justice. Alexander has been appointed the Plaintiffs' Liaison Counsel by the court for all the Ghost Ship cases. Alexander represents the families of ten victims who died due to the fire. Thirty-six died in the blaze, the deadliest fire in California since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Victims' families and additional counsels including executive committee members will join in the news conference.
THE NEWS CONFERENCE WILL FOLLOW THE FILING BY ALEXANDER. The news conference will be Tuesday, May 16 at Noon, outside the Alameda County Courthouse 1225 Fallon Street, Oakland, CA 94612 (note this building address).
Alexander said that in the Ghost Ship Fire, which occurred December 2, 2016, 36 perished and another was seriously injured. The Ghost Ship had been turned into a living complex, and a music event was under way when the fire occurred after 11PM. Residential and entertainment uses were not allowed under the building's zoning. Numerous complaints had been made concerning the building and prior events. "The building didn't meet fire and life safety standards," said Alexander.
The deadline to file for victims with city, county, or state claims is June 2, six months from the fire.
(Embargoed until filing): The Master Complaint, being filed by Alexander as Liaison Counsel for the victims, includes among other factors:
- New allegations
- The Ghost Ship "lacked adequate and sufficient safety measures" and was "not up to fire protection and safety codes."
- There was a "willful and conscious disregard for safety."
- "The premises were in a dangerous and unsafe condition."
Full details and copies of the master filing will be provided at the news conference.
Contact: Bob Weiner 301-283-0821, cell 202-306-1200 [email protected]
SOURCE Mary Alexander and Associates, and Robert Weiner Associates