The landlords of a Granite City apartment building are being sued for allegedly providing insufficient fire safety measures.
Plaintiffs Joseph Robert Marshall and Grace McRoberts filed the lawsuit in the Madison County Circuit Court against defendants Dillon Smith and Jeff Hatten, citing negligence.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs were on the premises of a Granite City apartment owned by the defendants on Dec. 16, 2021. The plaintiffs allege that while they were on the the first floor of the premises, a fire broke out.
According to the complaint, the building did not have smoke detectors installed throughout the apartments and stairwells and did not have a fire safety policy in place. The defendants are also accused of failing to properly ventilate the apartment building; failing to comply with proper building codes; failing to provider proper ingress and egress routes; failing to provide fire extinguishers and renting the apartment in an unsafe condition.
The plaintiffs claim that during the fire, they sustained injuries that have caused them pain and suffering, loss of a normal life, lost wages and will affect their ability to earn income in the future. The lawsuit also states that they have incurred medical expenses and will continue to require the services of medical staff to recover.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages in excess of $50,000, plus court costs and any other relief the court deems proper.
This article was first published in Madison Record.
