The father of one of the victims of the Old Montreal fire that killed seven people has just filed a class-action lawsuit worth more than $22 million against the attorney who owns the building, a contractor working there rented units but also against Airbnb for allowing illegal rentals led to this tragedy.
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“Their behavior shows that they were more concerned with generating revenue than with ensuring health and safety [des personnes dans l’immeuble]says Randy Sears in his class action motion filed in Montreal court this morning.
Mr. Sears, a resident of New Brunswick, is the father of Nathan Sears, a 35-year-old graduate student who died in the fatal fire that occurred March 16 in Old Montreal.
Tragic deaths
On that day, the political scientist Nathan Sears was in the metropolis for an international study conference. And for accommodation he chose the Airbnb platform, which brought him to this building owned by the lawyer Emile Benamor.
Except that a devastating fire broke out early in the morning when there were 22 people inside. Six people were able to escape in time, nine others suffered injuries. Except the rooms had no windows and seven people including Nathan Sears died in the fire.
“Nathan Sears was a husband, a son, a brother,” his father lamented in the court document.
And for the latter, people must be held responsible for this tragedy, starting with the owner of the building.
” [Me Benamor] has failed to meet its obligation to ensure that the rented units meet minimum health and safety requirements […]including building codes as well as fire hazard regulations,” we can read in the court document.
Airbnb was also targeted
The lawyer is also accused of allowing Airbnb rentals there, although he “knew or should have known” that it was illegal in this area.
The class action lawsuit also targets Tarik Hassan, who is alleged to have been negligent in renting units in the building, the civil lawsuit adds. Airbnb, for its part, is accused of failing to carry out a check to determine whether the places were safe, or even just to ensure the legitimacy of the advert that appeared on its platform.
Mr. Sears is demanding $22 million from them to be divided between the people who were in the building and their estate [pour les défunts] and families. But he also demands an unspecified additional amount as damages.
The motion will shortly be submitted to a Superior Court judge, who will decide whether to proceed with the class action.
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