SALTZ MONGELUZZI BENDESKY P.C

First Lawsuit Filed Today by Leading Structural Collapse Attorneys at Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky, on Behalf of Survivor Following Catastrophic Davenport, Iowa Apartment Building Collapse

Building owner among defendants named in multi-count negligence complaint

DAVENPORT, Iowa, June 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The first lawsuit following the catastrophic apartment building collapse in Davenport, Iowa, was filed today in Iowa district court, Scott County, by structural collapse attorneys from Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky, against the building's owner and others, on behalf of a survivor-tenant of theMay 28^th collapse of The Davenport.

The complaint (Dayna Feuerbach v. Andrew Wold,et al. ID No. 41664198) details the building's lengthy, checkered maintenance history, including inspection reports in February and May, 2023, which concluded that the west wall of the building was "cracked and crumbling" and that the damage "will soon cause a large panel of the façade to also collapse, creating a safety problem[.]".The Petition, filed on behalf of injured building resident, Dayna Feuerbach, also notes that the owner and the City of Davenport's inspectors were warned on May 24, 2023 that the building appeared"ready to fall imminently."

After the filing, SMB partner, Jeffrey P. Goodman said, "This disaster in Davenport was a preventable tragedy, all the victims and their families are in our hearts, and they all deserve justice.This lawsuit is the first step towards seeking justice and answers on behalf of the victims.The building's owner, Andrew Wold, will be made to answer why he ignored countless warnings of imminent danger and repeatedly prioritized money-saving measures over the health and safety of the building tenants."Mr. Goodman added, "We also look forward to uncovering why the professional engineering firm retained by Wold turned a blind eye to its fundamental duty to hold paramount the health, safety, and wellbeing of the tenants and the public."According to Mr. Goodman, "The red flags and warnings of danger that went ignored by everyone involved is simply outrageous.In terms of ensuring safety, the conduct of the building owner, its engineer, and the City of Davenport, was incompetent beyond belief."Mr. Goodman noted more lawsuits are likely in the days and weeks ahead.

Mr. Goodman has considerable experience representing victims in massive structural collapses.He led the investigation into the cause of the Surfside condominium collapse on behalf of the victims – there were 98 deaths - of the tragedy.The judge overseeing the Surfside litigation specifically noted that Mr. Goodman's outstanding work was "critical to the litigation's success" and the victims were "fortunate to have Mr. Goodman on the leadership team."The Surfside litigation ultimately settled for $1.2 Billion, making it the largest recovery following a structural collapse in American history.SMB has also obtained the second and third largest recoveries in the U.S. resulting from structural collapses.Mr. Goodman and firm President Robert Mongeluzzi represented the victims of the 2013 Market Street Building Collapse in Philadelphia that killed seven; that litigation settled for $227 Million.Mr. Mongeluzzi also represented the victims of the Tropicana Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, N.J. garage collapse that killed four; those cases settled for $101 Million. Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky is widely considered the nation's most accomplished law firm regarding issues of construction disasters and structural collapses. Joining Mr. Goodman on the plaintiff's litigation team is SMB attorney Samuel B. Dordick and renowned Iowa trial attorney Chris Stombaugh of DiCello Levitt.

Note: Ms. Feuerbach is still recovering from the collapse and will not be doing any media interviews. Kindly direct any inquiries to her attorneys via the below.

SOURCE Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky P.C.