Several lawsuits are expected to be announced Thursday against New York City and others connected to a deadly Legionnaires’ outbreak in Harlem.
Families affected by the 2025 outbreak are expected to stand alongside attorney Ben Crump and the Rev. Al Sharpton to announce four lawsuits.
They will target the city, NYC Health + Hospitals and contractors responsible for maintaining cooling towers. They claim cooling towers connected to the outbreak weren’t properly tested, treated or maintained, and people weren’t warned quickly enough about the danger.
The outbreak lasted several weeks before health officials declared it over. In total, 118 people became sick and seven died.
Investigators linked the outbreak to 12 cooling towers across Central Harlem, including towers at Harlem Hospital and the city’s Public Health Laboratory.
CBS News New York has reached out to city officials for comment and is waiting to hear back.
This comes as health officials recently announced there is no longer an elevated risk of exposure to Legionnaires’ disease on the Upper East Side. Seven people died, and 92 people tested positive in connection to the cluster.
A widow of one of the victims said she plans to file a lawsuit after health officials determine the source of the outbreak.
“The intended action will target the owner of an Upper East Side building who failed to properly maintain its rooftop cooling tower,” her attorney said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation aimed at strengthening inspection requirements for cooling towers. The law, signed Wednesday, requires twice-yearly certifications, faster remediation and stiffer penalties for violations. But attorneys say those changes don’t erase what happened last summer.
