The mother of the 3-year-old boy who allegedly started a New York City apartment fire that killed 13 people in December 2017 has reportedly sued for $1.1 billion, accusing 11 agencies or entities of “negligence.”
According to the New York Post, mom-of-two Rita Yeboah is seeking $100 million from 11 defendants, including the city, her landlord, Con Edison, and the maker of the stove that her son was playing with when the deadly December 28 fire occurred. In a lawsuit filed at Bronx Supreme Court, Yeboah and her husband claimed their family “suffered smoke inhalation, emotional trauma, and loss of property” in connection with the fatal blaze.
Citing the Fire Department, News 12 reported that fire started when Yeboah’s toddler son was playing with stove burners in the first-floor kitchen.
Residents expressed outrage to the Post, accusing the Ghana native of allowing the fire to spread by leaving her apartment door open as she fled the building with her two sons. They also alleged that she failed to adequately alert tenants of the growing inferno.
However, the woman’s attorney said one part of their lawsuit focuses on the building’s management, alleging that first-floor apartment door couldn’t close due to maintenance’s excessive paint jobs.
Alleging that the public has vilified Yeboah, the lawyer told News 12, “The real facts are that they paid the building owner and the management company for a smoke alarm and requested that their decrepit stove be replaced. Had either or both been done, this tragedy never happens.”
[Featured Image: News 12 video screengrab]
