Lawsuit says illegal demo methods led to worker death

The owners and contractors working on the demolition of Marlborough House in Miami Beach, Florida, were recently named as defendants in a wrongful death suit alleging that illegal methods were used in bringing down the structure that caused a worker fatality, The Daily Business Review reports.

The 13-story structure was in the process of being torn down to make way for new development when it collapsed July 23. Samuel Landis, a worker on the project, was struck by the debris. He died Aug. 3 from his injuries, according to the lawsuit.

Landis’ mother, Judith Landis, sued the owner, developer and contractors on the job. She alleges, in part, that the contractor illegally used implosion techniques to take down the building after being denied an implosion permit.

According to the complaint, crews should have worked from the top-down of the building using equipment. Instead, subcontractors started work by pulling out first-floor supports using chains and a front-end loader, leading to the collapse. It was this method that violated the permit, according to the report, since implosion can be performed using explosives or by removing parts of the structure to trigger an inward collapse of the building, as was the alleged case in the Marlborough House demolition.

“This intended plan was not authorized by the city but was illegally authorized and/or approved by all of the defendants, who collectively agreed that it was to be performed surreptitiously, in contumacious disregard of the city of Miami Beach ordinances,” Steven Osber, a senior partner at Conrad & Scherer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, wrote in the complaint. This was done “because it was a ‘quicker and cheaper’ method of demolition.”

The complaint also alleged some of the defendants didn’t use proper safety precautions during the demolition, including inviting spectators to watch the demolition without proper safety barriers or traffic safety procedures in place.

Miami-based developer Multiplan Real Estate Asset Management and its affiliates; Fort Lauderdale-based general contractor Winmar Construction Inc.; Fort Lauderdale-based subcontractor AlliedBean Demolition; and Lake Worth, Florida-based Safety & Risk Solutions LLC, amongst other participants, were named in the suit.

“This was a terrible tragedy. Our hearts remain with the Landis family over their loss,” Multiplan Managing Partner Marcelo Kingston told The Daily Business Review in an emailed statement.