Edward Norton’s production company is being sued over the fire that took the life of a New York firefighter on the set of the film “Motherless Brooklyn” last week.
The suit, which was filed against Class 5 Films by Erica Cruz and George Cruz on Tuesday in New York Supreme Court, alleges that Class 5 maintained “highly flammable equipment” in the basement of the building, and a fire broke out “due to “defendants’ recklessness, carelessness and negligence.”
Moreover, the suit alleges, Class 5 representatives misled the building’s tenants about the severity of the situation.
“When representatives of Class 5, Inc., became aware of the fire, they did not warn the tenants in the building; in fact, they misled the tenants into believing there had been a fire that had been extinguished,” the suit reads.
As a result, the suit says, “the plaintiffs’ apartment was completely destroyed.”
TheWrap has reached out to Class 5 for comment regarding the suit, which does not name Norton as a defendant and is seeking damages in the multi-million-dollar range.
According to the Associated Press, in addition to taking the life of firefighter Michael R. Davidson, 37, the fire also injured three civilians.
The producers of “Motherless Brooklyn” released a statement describing the fire, which crew noticed when smoke began billowing up from the cellar below. The statement also offered condolences to Davidson’s family.
“To our great sorrow, we now know that a NYC firefighter lost his life battling the blaze that grew, and our hearts ache in solidarity with his family,” the statement read, per the New York Times. “New York City firefighters truly are the bravest in the world. We watched firsthand with astonishment as they charged into the smoke to make sure all were safely out and then fought to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading.”
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.