LOS ANGELES : 7th Wrongful Death Suit Filed in Apartment Collapse
- Share via
Hyun Sook Lee, whose family met tragedy in the Jan. 17 earthquake, Tuesday filed the seventh wrongful death lawsuit against the builder and owner of the Northridge Meadows apartment building.
Like the other lawsuits, it alleges that construction flaws contributed to the collapse of her apartment’s walls and ceiling, which killed Lee’s husband, Pil, and son, Howard.
Families of seven of the 16 people who died at Northridge Meadows have sued, and more lawsuits are expected.
Lee, a nurse, said her lawsuit “is not about greed. Sometimes people have to stand up for their rights.”
Her lawyers, William J. Downey III and Myron M. Kim, said the suit seeks unspecified monetary damages to provide for the education of Lee’s son, Jason, 12, and to allow the Lees to start over.
“They have been relying on the charity of friends and members of their church to scrape by, and that’s not something that a proud family like the Lees wants to continue,” Downey said.
Pil Lee, a Korean-educated engineer, was an RTD mechanic. Howard Lee was a student who aspired to be a priest.
On Saturday, Lee searched all day for mementos in the ruins of Apt. 101. She was able to retrieve some photographs, and a video and a battered Asian chest. But her wedding ring, like many other items, was nowhere to be found.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
