Owner of E. Side Building Hit by Crane Sues for $100M

The owner of an Upper East Side building damaged in a fatal crane collapse is suing the crane's owner, operator, and lessee for $100 million.

In a complaint filed yesterday in New York State Supreme Court, First & 91 LLC, which owns 1749 First Ave., says "recklessness, carelessness and negligence" caused the crane to collapse. The company faults owner New York Crane & Equipment, operator Sorbara Construction, and general contractor Leon D. Dematteis Construction, as well as the owner of the building under construction, 1765 First Associates LLC.

The May 30 collapse killed the operator of the crane and another construction worker, and tore a three-story hole in 1749 First Ave., a residential building, forcing residents to evacuate for several days.

The crane that fell, the suit claims, was improperly welded and, with the full knowledge of its owners, in violation of the city's buildings department codes.

First & 91 LLC says in the complaint that because of the other companies' inept hiring, supervision, and coordination of work, it lost tenants and faces the expense of re-renting, loss of rent revenue, costs of repairs, and the lasting stigma of the disaster.

On June 13, the city revoked the building permit for the 32-story residential building the crane was working on; it has also opened a criminal investigation into New York Crane & Equipment.

Calls to the companies named in the complaint were not immediately returned.