A law firm is suing the developer of the downtown Da Vinci Apartments project for the damage to their offices from a fire that broke out in 2014 while the units were under construction at a site adjacent to where the lawyers worked.
Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith LLP filed the lawsuit Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court against Geffrey H. Palmer, and his company, GH Palmer Associates. The suit also alleges trespass and nuisance, and it seeks unspecified damages.
Beverly Hills-based GH Palmer Associates did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment.
The Dec. 8, 2014, fire destroyed the 75,000-square foot, seven-story complex under construction alongside the Harbor (110) Freeway.
The blaze forced the closure of the freeway and the intense heat broke about 160 windows at the headquarters of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The law firm leased space from the city of Los Angeles in a building on Figueroa Street near where the apartments were being built, the suit states.
“Specifically, the amount of combustible material at the Da Vince Apartments, including the wood framing, was a fire hazard that allowed for a sufficient amount of radiant heat, smoke and energy to travel across and damage LBBS offices,” the suit states.
The fire made the law offices uninhabitable and forced the attorneys to cease operations, interfering with their business, the suit states.
The developer should have known that a fire, regardless of whether it was set on purpose or not, “was a significant risk in the construction of the subject property,” the suit alleges.
The suit also alleges the apartment developer did not have a fire protection plan in place and lacked enough equipment at the site in the event of a blaze.
LBBS attorney Dana Alden Fox said today the firm’s offices have relocated permanently to the U.S. Bank Tower on 5th Street.
On May 11, 57-year-old Dawud Abdulwali was ordered to stand trial for allegedly setting fire to the Da Vinci complex. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge M.L. Villar said she found “overwhelming circumstantial evidence” to require him to stand trial on one felony count each of aggravated arson and arson of a structure, along with an allegation that the blaze was started with an accelerant.
—City News Service