HHC and City-Owned Buildings Among Those Linked to Unchecked Contamination
NEW YORK, NY — August 21, 2025 — Following a deadly Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Central Harlem that has claimed five lives and sickened over 100, New York attorney Ronald J. Katter has filed Notices of Claim against NYC and the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation’s Harlem Hospital alleging negligence and systemic failures in their buildings’ water system management.
Katter represents two Harlem residents who contracted the disease during the outbreak, which health officials traced to unsafe levels of Legionella bacteria in cooling towers at 12 buildings — including multiple city-run facilities that include the City University of New York building, a NYC Department of Health clinic and HHC’s Harlem Hospital.
According to the city’s own findings, nine of the 12 buildings either failed to conduct required Legionella testing or had not been inspected by the city in the past year, in clear violation of public health laws enacted after prior outbreaks.
“Because of the city’s willful negligence, five New Yorkers are dead,” said Katter, who has earned national recognition for his work in Legionnaires’ litigation. “My clients were infected by bacteria growing unchecked in city-owned buildings that ignored basic safety regulations. This outbreak was not an accident — it was entirely preventable.”
The Notice of Claim, which is the precondition to filing a lawsuit against the City and HHC, alleges the City and HHC violated New York State and City laws, which were specifically enacted to prevent fatal Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks.
Katter first made headlines in 2015 when he sued on behalf of a Bronx man infected in the Opera House Hotel outbreak, which led to sweeping reforms in Legionella control. Yet, as this latest tragedy shows, oversight remains dangerously inconsistent.
The Central Harlem outbreak was detected by the Department of Health in July and has sent dozens to the hospital. Legionnaires’ disease is a severe pneumonia caused by inhaling water vapor containing Legionella bacteria. It poses the greatest risk to older adults and those with weakened immune systems. The CDC reports that fatality rates can reach 10% even with treatment.
For more information, call (212) 809-4293 or visit www.katterlaw.com.
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* Notice of claim is available upon request.
About The Katter Law Firm
The Katter Law Firm represents clients throughout New York City in personal injury cases including those who have suffered injuries as a result of construction accidents, Legionnaires’ disease, motor vehicle collisions, pedestrian knockdowns, bicycle crashes, slip/trip and falls, assaults, workplace accidents, professional malpractice, nursing home negligence, hospital mistreatment, police abuse, accidental death, pet attacks and cemetery and funeral negligence. The firm aggressively represents injured victims through New York’s five boroughs, as well as the surrounding counties. For more information, call (212) 809-4293 or visit www.katterlaw.com.
