New York Town Shares Liability in 2005 Dam Break
A midlevel New York court says the township that owns and operates a dam shares liability with its contractors for its 2005 collapse.
A Washington County jury last year found a construction company and design firm mostly at fault for the failure of a dam shortly after it was rebuilt, causing millions of dollars in damage to properties in Fort Ann.
About 200 homes were evacuated after the dam crumbled at the end of mile-long Hadlock Pond, about 55 miles north of Albany. More than 100 owners sued.
In Thursday’s ruling, the Appellate Division concludes 1999 amendments to state conservation law give dam owners “a nondelegable duty” to maintain and operate them safely.
However, the five justices say that does not relieve other defendants of liability for their negligence.
- Roblox Wants Deluge of Child Sex Abuse Cases Moved Out of Court
- Report: Extreme Weather to Drive $20 Trillion in Spending
- Judge Won’t Bend on $256M Defamation, RICO Verdict Against Human Rights Lawyer
- PE Founder Constantino Ran Firm in ‘Drunken Haze,’ Ex-COO Says in Lawsuit
- Insurance Attorneys Flip $1M Hail Claim into Nearly $2M Suit for Contractor Interference
- Why Toyota RAV4s Are Suddenly the Most Coveted Used Cars in America
- The Field Inspection Gap: A Growing Structural Risk in Claims Handling
- Ex-Shield AI Worker Sues Over ‘Profane, Egregious’ Acts by Senior Official