The Champlain Towers South condominium association was hit with a second lawsuit this week following the building’s collapse in Surfside, Fla., that has claimed at least 11 lives.
In the class action suit filed Monday, Raysa Rodriguez and fellow residents accused the association of failing to maintain the building’s safety, CNN reported.
“Despite the obvious duties required by Florida law, and this admitted duty of care by the Association’s Declaration and other governing documents, Defendant, through their own reckless and negligent conduct, caused a catastrophic deadly collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside,” the complaint states, according to CNN.
Rodriguez and other residents are reportedly seeking class-action status in order to represent everyone who was affected by the deadly collapse.
A trial by jury as well as unspecified monetary damages are being requested, CNN reported.
The first lawsuit against the Champlain Towers South condo association in connection to the building collapse was filed by the Brad Sohn Law Firm on Thursday. That suit seeks $5 million in damages.
Adam Schwartzbaum, one of Rodriguez’s attorneys, said in a recent interview with CNN that the association has known that the building was in “critical” condition for years.
The president of the Champlain Towers South condo association acknowledged that the building’s basement damage had “gotten significantly worse” and was “accelerating” in an April letter.
On Monday, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said the death toll from the building collapse had reached 11 as rescuers continued to search for survivors. Nearly 150 are still missing.