The law firm of Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman has filed a new wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the family of Edmond W. Lapine, II, who was killed in the Ghost Ship warehouse fire in Oakland, California on December 2, 2016.
Baum Hedlund attorneys Ronald L. M. Goldman, Timothy A. Loranger and Diane Marger Moore (to be admitted pro hac vice) filed the lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court for the State of California (Case No: RG17854328).
The lawsuit seeks general, special and punitive damages for wrongful death and alleges negligence and premises liability, among other things, against the following Defendants:
- Chor Nar Siu Ng – Owns the property upon which the Ghost Ship was located individually and as trustee of the Chor Nar Siu Ng Revocable Trust dated September 28, 2007, Eva Ng.
- Derick Ion Almena and Micah Allison – Leased the Ghost Ship from Chor Ng. Per the complaint, Almena and Alison subleased and provided services to the property, where events open to the public were held and entertainment was provided.
- Daniel Lopez and Omar Vega – Leased from Chor Ng. Per the lawsuit, Lopez and Vega were neighbors to the adjacent Ghost Ship warehouse and supplied electricity and a restroom on their premises for use by patrons and invitees during events held at the Ghost Ship.
- John Hrabko, 100% Silk and Joel Shanahan (known as Golden Donna) – Together promoted the electronic music event held at the Ghost Ship on the night of December 2, 2016.
On December 2, 2016, Edmond Lapine was attending an electronic music concert at the Ghost Ship warehouse when a fire engulfed the first floor. He was one of at least 100 people inside the warehouse as the fire quickly spread through the building. Trapped in the inferno, Edmond suffered fatal injuries related to smoke inhalation, while trying to escape.
According to the lawsuit, Chor Ng leased the Ghost Ship to Derick Ion Almena and Micah Allison, and permitted subletting of the property without proper due diligence or taking reasonable precautions. At the time of the fatal fire, Almena and Alison had allegedly been leasing the Ghost Ship for at least three years and had divided the warehouse into residential units and leased those spaces to others.
Infrastructure and safety equipment legally required for conversion to residential usage were knowingly ignored, the lawsuit alleges, and permits were not obtained for the conversion of the warehouse or for public events to be held at the Ghost Ship. Furthermore, the building failed to meet statutory requirements for public facilities, and lacked electrical and fire suppression equipment.
According to the lawsuit, the Ghost Ship was a "death trap," which contained a maze of makeshift rooms, alcoves and partitions. It was cluttered with carvings, mannequins, paintings, artwork, scraps of wood, pianos, furniture, tapestries and at least one recreational vehicle trailer.
The lawsuit charges that the Defendants' negligence and/or failure to act and the dangerous conditions on the subject premises legally caused Edmond Lapine's fatal injuries. Per the allegations, the Defendants acted with malice, oppression and/or fraud in that, among other things, they acted with a willful and conscious disregard for the rights and safety of Edmond Lapine despite knowing the risk of serious injury or death that could likely result from the unsafe and dangerous condition of the Ghost Ship and surrounding and adjacent premises.
"This Oakland warehouse was not appropriately used as living or event space so that it became a death trap for anyone who entered it," stated Timothy Loranger, one of the attorneys for Edmond Lapine's father. "Safety should have been the number one concern here and sadly; it was the last. The lessons learned in Oakland must be a call to cities across the country to take appropriate action and crack down on these types of facilities so more lives are not lost."
More details here: https://www.baumhedlundlaw.com/ghost-ship-warehouse-fire-lawsuit/