Class action lawsuit over LaVista Walk apartment fire moves forward

A federal court has certified a class action for over residents displaced by the Thanksgiving fire at The Reserve at LaVista Walk apartment complex in Atlanta Chief U S District Judge Leigh Martin May issued the certification order on Nov stating that the central question of whether the defendants actions or omissions caused the fire applies to all residents This certification means that hundreds of families will in the end have their day in court Doug Dean lead counsel for the plaintiffs at Dean Thaxton LLC commented in a report The tenants allege that the property s owners and operators were aware of the building s deficient fire-safety systems and failed to act Residents at LaVista Walks had complained about malfunctioning fire alarms which triggered numerous false alarms leading tenants to become desensitized On the night of the fire several residents hesitated to evacuate unsure whether the alarm was genuine Former residents also claim that management knew individuals were accessing the parking deck and roof to discharge fireworks and firearms but took no preventative action Charnelle Gunn and Robert Stokes were arrested on arson and criminal property damage charges after shooting fireworks from the parking deck which sparked the blaze Read more of this story on WSBTV com The post Class action lawsuit over LaVista Walk apartment fire moves forward appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta