$9M Partial Settlement in 2003 Chicago Office Fire That Killed Attorneys
With a massive civil trial against other defendants set to start next week, Cook County has agreed to pay $9 million to settle a tort claim over a 2003 high-rise fire in downtown Chicago that killed three staff members in the public guardian’s office.
They were among six people who died and 16 who were injured on Oct. 17, 2003, as workers attempted to evacuate the building down smoke-filled stairways whose doors to the intermediate floors often were locked. Settlement talks continue with the City of Chicago, a building management company and other defendants, but the plaintiffs’ attorney, Robert Clifford, says he’s not optimistic about reaching a deal with them, writes the Chicago Tribune.
Although the exact cause of the fire reportedly still is not certain, a lack of sprinklers, stairwell doors that could not be opened by those evacuating the building, and disorganization and slow response by fire officials to 911 calls from trapped victims are among the issues that have been raised concerning the deaths.
Four additional defendants who worked on the renovation of the building and its emergency systems also reportedly agreed today to settle, but the amount they are to pay is not specified.
Clifford is a former chair of the ABA Section of Litigation.
Additional coverage:
CNN: “Fire in Chicago high-rise office building kills six”
Associated Press: “Eight victims still in hospital after Chicago building fire”
New York Times: ” Chicago Fire Inquiry Leaves Crucial Question Unanswered”
WMAQ (NBC): “Witness Blames Corrupt Politics For Fatal County Fire”
WMAQ (NBC): “Cook County Fire Report Blasts Fire Department”
