BELLEVILLE – East St. Louis tenants are suing their landlord, claiming that the property they were living in had no working smoke detectors when a fatal fire broke out.
Plaintiffs Gregory Dunigan and Vanicia Mosely filed the lawsuit in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Rita McIntosh, Rukavina McIntosh and McIntosh Properties, LLC, citing negligence.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs were tenants renting an East St. Louis property that was owned and operated by the defendants. The plaintiffs allege that on Aug. 6, 2021, a fire broke out in the building. The plaintiffs claim that during the fire, they were forced to inhale large amounts of smoke and were injured while making their escape from the building. Five children died in the fire.
According to the plaintiffs, the defendants were negligent in their failure to have properly operating smoke detectors on the property and failure to properly maintain, inspect and repair the property.
The plaintiffs claim that as a result of the defendants' negligence they endured pain, suffering, emotional distress and mental anguish. The plaintiffs add that the fire damaged and destroyed their personal property.
The plaintiffs are demanding a trial jury to seek damages in excess of $50,000, plus court costs and any other relief the court deems proper. They are represented in this case by attorney Alan Pirtle of Brown & Crouppen, P.C. in St. Louis.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 23LA0870