A year after fire destroyed a senior citizens apartment complex in Southeast D.C., 150 residents filed a lawsuit Friday.
The raging fire destroyed the Arthur Capper Senior Apartments, in the Navy Yard neighborhood, on Sept. 19, 2018.
The lawsuit claims the property management company, the building owner and the D.C. Department of Housing are responsible for not preventing the fire as well as the emotional and physical toll the senior citizens endured because of the fire.
In the 42-page complaint filed in D.C. Superior Court, the residents claim the building was not properly maintained, did not have adequate security, and did not have the proper fire alarms and sprinkler systems in place.
While the lawsuit does not specify an amount for damages, it says the residents lost most of their personal belongings, including irreplaceable items like the ashes of deceased loved ones.
The lawsuit also claims the residents are now paying more in rent at their new housing than they were at Arthur Capper.
