Two Manhattan residents who lost their expensive vehicles in the collapse of a Financial District parking garage have filed a $100 million class-action lawsuit over the damage to their cars.
Robert Galpern, the landlord of a nearby Fulton Street building, had parked his customized $60,000 Toyota Highlander at the garage before its destruction, according to his lawyer, Migir Ilganayev.
“He paid for it, he bought it, and now it’s not there anymore,” Ilganayev stated.
While Galpern intends to file an insurance claim for the vehicle, Ilganayev noted, “they’re not going to reimburse him for what he paid for the car.
The responsibility lies with the owners, operators, and managers of that garage, as the building was very old, rundown, and had far too many cars on that roof.”
Another resident of the Financial District, building superintendent Boguslaw Zapolnick, lost his $40,000 2023 Mazda, according to the attorney.
Zapolnick had previously complained about dust and falling debris at the garage.
The excessive number of cars on the roof, combined with the added weight of heavier electric vehicles, may have contributed to the collapse of the structure, which had a history of violations.
The two plaintiffs have accused garage owners 57 Ann Street Realty Associates, Alan and Jeffrey Henick, Little Man Parking LLC, and Enterprise Ann Parking LLC of negligence and “reckless and wanton disregard for human life and property,” as stated in court documents.
This lawsuit is one of three filed following the catastrophic incident on April 18, which resulted in one death and five injuries.
Pierre Vancol, 50, a worker who survived the sudden collapse of the three-story parking garage, has filed his own lawsuit in Brooklyn Supreme Court against the garage owners.
Luis Farfan, from the Bronx, is also suing in Bronx Supreme Court, claiming he was injured in the incident. Both Farfan and Vancol are seeking unspecified damages.
