Appellate Win Secures Path to Justice for Iowa Clients

Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge is pleased to share that the Iowa Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of our clients, allowing their claims against the City to move forward. This important decision reinforces accountability and ensures our clients have the opportunity to pursue justice following the Davenport building collapse.

On May 28th, 2023, the west facade of a 116-year-old, six-story apartment building at 324 Main Street in downtown Davenport, Iowa, catastrophically collapsed. Our clients were inside their fourth-floor apartment at the time. Tragically, one of our clients, Peach Berry, fell several stories and was trapped beneath a pile of bricks and twisted steel for nearly eight hours. Facing the imminent risk of further collapse, first responders and medical personnel performed a life-saving emergency amputation on site before transporting her to the hospital.

Two years later, the collapse continues to profoundly affect our clients. The case has been stayed during the pendency of the appeal. Now that the appeal has been decided in our favor, we will get into discovery and be able to work up the case against all responsible parties, including the City of Davenport. “The City of Davenport’s attempt to evade responsibility for this tragedy was rejected. The City and its inspectors were all over this building in the days, weeks, and months prior to the collapse. We believe the City bears a lot of responsibility for this catastrophic event,” says Brian Eldridge.

HME attorneys Steven Hart, Brian Eldridge, and James Ormond are proud to serve as co-counsel with Andrew M. Stroth. As Stroth shared in the story linked below: “We knew from the beginning that the City of Davenport should be held responsible and accountable for the tragedy that happened at 324 Main.”

Read More about this story from Sharon Wren

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