The City of Oakland has agreed to pay $32.7 million to settle lawsuits arising from the deadly 2016 Ghost Ship blaze. The fire occurred in an illegally converted warehouse where 36 people died. Advocates for the victims contend the city was negligent in not red tagging the building which had been turned into a residence for artists and as an event venue.
Oakland City police officers were aware of the activity at the Ghost Ship. Even though the City police were aware of the illegal occupancy and event activity at the warehouse there is no record that action to rectify the situation was ever reported by those police officers to immediate authorities. Had the chain of command been adhered to there is every reason to believe the lives would not have been lost. The settlement amount included more than $9 million for Sam Maxwell who survived the inferno but “will live with severe, lifelong injuries and incur major medical expenses” for the balance of his life.
The civil lawsuit filed included dozens of plaintiffs and defendants, including property owners of the warehouse, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and the City of Oakland. The blaze killed many young people trapped on the illegally constructed second floor with minimal chance to escape down a narrow and poorly constructed staircase. The building owner Chor Ng was never charged with a crime in connection with the warehouse fire.
We represent people who are injured because of the careless and reckless acts of others. At the end of the day your case can only be settled one time and you need to know all of the facts beforehand. The reason that insurance companies have paid our clients in excess of $130,000,000.00 is that we get the facts and are not intimidated at the prospect of going to trial when they refuse to follow the law. We help with serious issues that require serious representation. We are the Law Offices of Guenard & Bozarth. We have almost 60 years of experience in our plaintiff’s only law firm. Call GB Legal 24/7/365 at 888-809-1075 or visit www.gblegal.com We Can Help!
