{"id":22118,"date":"2023-09-19T11:44:40","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T18:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/lawsuits-filed-by-building-owner-victims-family-in-old-montreal-fire-that-killed-7\/"},"modified":"2023-09-19T11:44:41","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T18:44:41","slug":"lawsuits-filed-by-building-owner-victims-family-in-old-montreal-fire-that-killed-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/lawsuits-filed-by-building-owner-victims-family-in-old-montreal-fire-that-killed-7\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawsuits filed by building owner, victim’s family in Old Montreal fire that killed 7"},"content":{"rendered":"

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MONTREAL \u2014 A pair of lawsuits have been filed in connection with a fire in an Old Montreal heritage building that killed seven people in March, including a suit by the owner of the property who is demanding $7.6 million from the city.<\/p>\n

Emile Benamor\u2019s lawyers say city regulations for heritage properties made it impossible for him to carry out modifications or repairs to the building, which was built in 1890. The lawyers filed the lawsuit last Thursday, a few weeks after Montreal police said they had found traces of accelerant at the site of the fire and that the case had turned into a criminal investigation.<\/p>\n

\u201cDue to its heritage status, the building is strongly regulated, as well as the work authorized on it, including the fact that certain work is completely impossible to carry out, in particular due to the city, which refuses any modification or alteration that is visible in relation to the original heritage\u00a0construction,\u201d the lawsuit says.<\/p>\n

The door to the building, the lawsuit alleges, did not meet fire safety regulations. But the door, which is more than 100 years old and made of wood several inches thick, had heritage value and could not be modified or replaced, the suit alleges.<\/p>\n

Traces of accelerants were found in the entrance corridor, the filing says, citing expert reports. Police said in late August they had found traces of accelerant at the site, but did not specify where.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit also alleges an emergency stairwell leading to the roof and allowing people access to the building next door was ordered dismantled.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce again, it was impossible for the plaintiff to modify the staircase in such a way as to satisfy the city and the only solution presented to him was to remove the part giving access to the roof.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benamor\u2019s lawsuit says city safety inspections had not been conducted since February 2019.<\/p>\n

The suit also alleges firefighters did not deploy adequate resources to the March 16 fire and dismissed him when he told them minutes after the fire started that there were very likely people inside the building.<\/p>\n

The owner is also suing city officials \u2014 including the mayor \u2014 for defamation for comments they made in the aftermath of the blaze. Mayor Valerie Plante\u2019s alleged attempt to link the case to illegal short-term rentals triggered a \u201cwitch hunt\u201d against Benamor, the lawsuit says.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeveral of the statements reported by the city\u2019s employees, representatives or agents were false, inaccurate and aimed to hold the plaintiff responsible for the events, including the injuries and deaths that resulted from them,\u201d the filing reads.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the parents and younger brother of Charlie Lacroix, an 18-year-old victim of the fire, filed a $1.5-million lawsuit against Benamor, the City of Montreal and a man operating rentals out of the building. The lawsuit argues that the death occurred because of gross negligence on the parties all named.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fire and Charlie\u2019s death will leave an indelible mark on everyone\u2019s heart of the claimants, who will have to live everyday with the sudden and unexpected loss of a loved one,\u201d the filing reads.<\/p>\n

For it\u2019s part, the City of Montreal declined to comment on either lawsuit.<\/p>\n

In addition to Lacroix, the other victims were Camille Maheux, 76; An Wu, 31; Dania Zafar, 31; Saniya Khan, 31; Nathan Sears, 35; and Walid Belkahla, 18. Maheux was a long-term resident of the building; the others were staying in short-term rentals.<\/p>\n

In March, the father of Sears filed an application for a $22-million class-action lawsuit against Benamor, short-term rental platform Airbnb, and the man who had been operating rentals out of the building. The class-action lawsuit, which is on behalf of the families and estates of all the fire\u2019s victims, has not been approved, and one of the lawyers in the case said an authorization wouldn\u2019t be likely before the summer of 2024.<\/p>\n

A coroner\u2019s inquest ordered into the fire is on hold until the conclusion of the police investigation and any potential criminal trials.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 2023 The Canadian Press<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n