Legionnaires Disease

Published on: August 4, 2025

One Dead, Nearly Two Dozen Others Sick from Legionnaires’ Cluster in New York City. What to Know.

A Legionnaires’ Disease cluster in New York City leaves one dead and at least 22 others sick since last Friday, according to the New York City Health Department.

An advisory was released Thursday, updating the public on a string of illnesses that had been going on since at least last Friday, July 25. The cluster occurred in the city’s Harlem neighborhood and nearby communities.

Samples from cooling towers in the area have been taken and the department has instructed building owners that were screened with positive results to immediately begin the process of cleaning, disinfecting and treating their cooling towers to eliminate Legionella bacteria, which causes the disease, officials said. These owners will need to re-test once this process is complete to ensure that there is no longer a Legionella risk.

Published on: July 28, 2025

Flesh-eating bacteria in Florida. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least four people have died as the result of injuries related to flesh-eating bacteria in 2025, according to reporting from local media.

The data, which comes from the Florida Department of Health, was updated on Friday, July 11, and shows that at least one person died in each of the following counties:

Bay County

Published on: August 13, 2024

Outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease prompts warnings to the public. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Health officials in New Hampshire are warning the public about Legionnaires’ Disease after five confirmed cases at a single resort.

The five cases are believed to have been contracted between June and July at a resort in the downtown area of Lincoln, New Hampshire. The source of the bacteria, officials told local news outlets, can be linked to water droplets from a nearby cooling tower. The cooling tower is still in operation, leaving health officials to warn the public about a continued risk if they are in the area.

The Centers for Disease Control defines an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease as two or more cases identified within 12 months at the same location.

Published on: June 21, 2024

Leesfield & Partners continues to represent clients in Legionnaires’ Disease cases, closing out one last month and continuing work on multiple others

By Leesfield & Partners

Leesfield & Partners attorneys secured a settlement for a woman who contracted Legionnaires’ Disease following a stay at a Florida hotel where she routinely used the hot tub.

The woman began experiencing symptoms the day she checked out from the hotel, including swelling all over her body, attorneys said in court records. She broke out in a fever ranging from 101 to 103 degrees Fahrenheit and was diagnosed at the hospital with multifocal pneumonia and Legionnaires’ Disease. While she was in the hospital, the woman went into septic shock.

Records from the state department of health showed the hotel failed to maintain minimum chlorine levels in the jacuzzi. Leesfield & Partners attorneys also discovered that the hotel failed to maintain the hot tub in accordance with industry standards. As a result of her exposure, the woman suffered an acute kidney injury. To this day, the woman suffers from regular bouts of pain and fatigue.

Published on: January 19, 2023

Leesfield & Partners settles back to back Legionnaires’ Disease cases against Resort

By Leesfield & Partners

Leesfield & Partners reached two six-figure settlements in Legionnaires’ Disease cases against the same Resort. Ira Leesfield and attorneys with the firm argued that the resort was negligent in failing to properly maintain and sanitize its water systems, including decorative water features, which led to the spread of the bacteria and the infection of guests.

Our two clients, one from Florida and the other from Maryland, did not know each other and their stay did not overlap in time. Nonetheless, both were infected, contracted the disease and experienced a very similar onset of symptoms. First they began experiencing generalized body soreness, extreme fatigue, chills, difficulty breathing, and high fever. They went to the hospital within days of returning from the resort and were admitted with pneumonia and double pneumonia respectively. Infectious disease doctors consulted with both clients and upon further testing, a diagnosis of Legionnaires’ Disease was made.

Maryland and Florida’s Department of Health officials investigated the potential source of the infection and quickly zeroed in on a Florida resort as the potential source. Within days Health officials inspected the resort and found the Legionella bacteria in one of the many decorative water features of the resort. Within ten months of being retained, Leesfield & Partners secured a six-figure settlement for each client.