Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer has filed a $20 million lawsuit against the developer of a Downtown Los Angeles apartment complex in connection with a massive blaze that engulfed the structure back in 2014.
The fire at the Da Vinci Apartments project was found to be a result of arson and the suspect, Dawud Abdulwali, has never been found to have any connection to the developer. However, it was gross negligence that allowed the fire to spin out of control, causing nearly $80 million in damage to nearby city property, the suit claims. Insurance only covered $61.9 million of the damage.
“We’re fighting to fully compensate the city’s taxpayers for the losses we allege could have been avoided had this massive building incorporated key safety measures and been better constructed,” Feuer said in a statement.
The Da Vinci had been mired in controversy from the beginning. Some Downtown L.A. residents had vehemently protested the developer’s plan to build a bridge connecting the building to other local complexes, but the city council approved the plan anyway.
Read more about the lawsuit here.