Levin & Perconti secured a $6 million settlement for two families after a fire at a Chicago apartment building killed six children and seriously injured two others. The lawsuit alleged that the building’s owners and management company failed to provide working smoke detectors that could have alerted residents to the fire. Founder John J. Perconti represented the families.
What Happened
On September 3, 2006, a fire broke out in a third-floor apartment in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood, where Augusta and Amado Ramirez lived with their children.
The family’s electricity had been disconnected because of unpaid bills, forcing them to rely on candles and battery-operated lights. A candle started a fire near the apartment’s doorway shortly after midnight.
The apartment had no working smoke detector, and the building’s common areas contained smoke alarms that had been recalled in 1992 because they could fail to sound.
As the fire spread, neighbors heard children screaming for help. Several residents attempted to reach the apartment, but heavy smoke and flames made rescue efforts difficult.
Five Ramirez children died in the fire: Vanessa, 14; Erick, 12; Suzette, 10; Idaly, 6; and Kevin, 3. Their family friend, 3-year-old Scarlett Ramos, also lost her life.
Two other Ramirez children survived with serious injuries. Sixteen-year-old Natali suffered burns to approximately 10% of her body and an inhalation injury. Seven-year-old William sustained burns to approximately 8.5% of his body, carbon monoxide poisoning, and an inhalation injury. Both children required skin grafts.
The Ramirez family lost five children while facing the difficult recovery of two others. Scarlett’s mother, Maria Ramos, also lost her young daughter.
What Levin & Perconti Argued
The premises liability lawyers at Levin & Perconti argued that the building’s owners and management company failed to provide adequate fire protection for their tenants.
Attorney John Perconti maintained that the apartment should have been equipped with working smoke detectors to warn residents of a fire. Instead, the family had no functioning alarm inside their apartment, and the smoke detectors in the building’s common areas included models that had been recalled years earlier.
The lawsuit alleged that the lack of functioning smoke detectors deprived the families of an early warning that could have allowed them to escape before the fire spread.
Levin & Perconti sought to hold the property owners and management company accountable for failing to maintain basic fire safety measures in a residential building.
“As far as the case is concerned, we hope this sends a message to all landlords and property owners that there should be an inspection system utilized to inspect for working and operating smoke detectors in all buildings so incidents like this don’t happen again.”
$6 Million Settlement
Levin & Perconti reached a $6 million settlement with the building’s owners and management company in November 2007. The Ramirez family received $5 million, while the Ramos family received $1 million.
This tragedy prompted Chicago to establish a program providing financial assistance to low-income families whose electricity had been disconnected.
No settlement can replace the six children or give their families the years they lost together. The recovery, however, helps provide for the surviving children’s education and medical needs while holding the property owners accountable for fire-safety failures.
We Are Here To Help
When hazardous property conditions or severe structural risks result in a life-altering house fire or injury, holding negligent property owners accountable requires dedicated legal action.
Through meticulous site inspections and uncompromising advocacy, our legal team fights to secure maximum financial recovery for your emergency medical bills, ongoing reconstructive treatments, lost income, and the profound physical and emotional loss experienced by you and your family.
Contact us today to schedule your free consultation.
Media Coverage
- Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, “$6 Million Accord in Fire That Killed 6,” November 14, 2007
- Claims Journal / Associated Press, “$6 Million Settlement in Chicago Fire That Killed Six Children,” November 15, 2007
- Chicago Tribune, “Chicago Fire Kills 6 Children,” September 4, 2006
- CBS News, “6 Kids Dead in Chicago Blaze,” September 3, 2006
