December 22nd - December 26th, 2008

Preliminary Agreement Reached

December 22 – The family of firefighter Robert Beddia, who died in last year’s fire at the Deutsche Bank building, has reached a preliminary agreement to accept a $5 million payment from Bovis Lend Lease, the construction management company. The family will not be barred from taking civil action against Bovis, the City or the John Galt Corporation. The family has said it plans to file a lawsuit to get more answers about what happened and prevent other firefighters from dying under similar circumstances.

Manhattan DA Announces Charges

December 22 – The Manhattan District Attorney announced manslaughter charges against three construction supervisors of the John Galt Corporation in connection with the August 2207 fatal fire at the Deutsche bank building. Mitchel Alvo, Jeffrey Melofchik and Salvatore DePaola were arraigned on charges of second degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment. The indictment alleges the three men directed workers to cut a section of standpipe which was designed to provide water in case of a fire. The investigation by the DA took 16 months.  The City of New York was not named in the indictments, although the FDNY and the Department of Buildings were harshly criticized for lapses that led to the deaths of two firefighters. As part of an agreement with the DA’s office, the City acknowledged the failures and instituted reforms to prevent it from happening again. It will establish a force within the FDNY to focus solely on inspections on buildings under construction. Bovis Lend Lease, the construction management company overseeing the decontamination/deconstruction of the building also escaped charges. Another panel is hearing evidence about possible fraud involving the Galt Corporation and the LMDC which owns the building.