Protestors took to the streets in the days following the devastating 2011 fire at Windermere Court Apartments. Photos by West Philly Local).
Five years after a catastrophic fire destroyed the Windermere Court Apartments at 48th and Walnut, building tenants who participated in a class-action lawsuit have received their share of a $4.75 million settlement.
The fire that broke out on Jan. 10, 2011 destroyed the 90-unit building and left its residents scrambling for housing. Many spent days protesting the building owner’s decision not to let them return to retrieve their belongings and pets that may have survived the blaze.
The cause of the fire is disputed. An expert determined on behalf of the tenants during a 2013 civil trial that the fire resulted from faulty smoke alarms and sprinklers. The building owners – David, Sam and Aron Ginsberg – settled the suit a few days into the 2014 trial for $4.75 million and the settlement was certified last January.
The tenants’ class-action attorney, Tom Marrone, said that the payouts were completed this week. Each tenant who signed onto the suit received an average of $25,000 after legal and other fees.
January 14th, 2016 at 11:10 am
I am glad the victims finally received payment. So many of them had no rental insurance and lost everything. I remember one woman lost an urn with her mother’s ashes. The owners were MIA and residents had to pay off a security guard so they could look for their pets and family photos.
As someone who lives around the corner and participated in trapping cats in that burned out icicle of a building, I can say for sure that pets survived–in one case more than a month. A coordinated effort between City Kitties, PSPCA Humane Law Enforcement, and Project MEOW ended up reuniting (IIRC) 5 pets with their owners and removing a couple more of strays from the building before it was demolished.
Now that the settlement has been finalized, I really hope something happens with the huge empty lot. It’s an eyesore that attracts vandalism, dumping, and adds nothing to the surrounding community. With ongoing construction across 48th St at the former WPHS and the new police HQ a few blocks away, maybe the owners will finally sell it? Judging by their response after the fire though, they don’t care a whit about Walnut Hill.
January 14th, 2016 at 6:37 pm
@Lou
Thank you for everything you did after the fire. You and City Kitties are literally the best and we think about the work you did almost evey day.