Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
Two more Bronx neighborhoods were recently added to an ongoing alert for a Legionnaires’ disease cluster identified by the New York City Department of Health.
Initially, the investigation focused on parts of Melrose and Morrisania (ZIP codes 10451and 10456.) On Sunday, Sept. 20, the NYDOH expanded the alert, adding 10455 and 10459 after cases within a few blocks of 10456 were identified.
At least 21 people tested positive for Legionnaires’ in connection to the cluster, according to reporting from local media. Three people were still hospitalized as of Monday, Sept. 21, while 14 others had been discharged. Two more were not hospitalized and two others died.
Anyone who lives in or has visited this area is urged to contact their health providers immediately if they feel they are beginning to experience flu-like symptoms.
Leesfield & Partners
For 50 years, Leesfield & Partners has diligently represented countless clients in Legionnaires’ disease cases against hotels, property management companies, resorts, pool maintenance companies, and other entities. This landmark result reflects the firm’s unwavering commitment to securing accountability for injured clients and their grieving families.
Legionnaires’ Disease was first identified in 1976 following an outbreak of pneumonia in Philadelphia at a convention for the American Legion, according to the FDOH. More than 200 people became ill and at least 34 people died as a result of being exposed to the Legionella bacteria. The suspected source in that instance was likely the hotel’s air conditioning cooling towers.
There are 8,000 to 18,000 confirmed hospitalizations due to Legionnaires’ disease every year in the U.S. The latest available data in Florida shows the rate of Legionnaires’ Disease to be 2.4 per every 10,000 people, according to the FDOH. In 2020, the state accounted for nearly 60% of reported Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks in the United States and 38% of outbreaks in health care facilities around the country, according to reporting from the Tampa Bay Times. In 2024, the newspaper reported that cases of the disease were rising, particularly in Florida health care facilities.
While this dangerous bacterium continues to thrive in medical facilities, hotels, resorts, and other properties that fail to properly maintain their water systems, Leesfield & Partners remains steadfast in promoting awareness and holding negligent entities accountable.
Last year, Trial Attorney Eric Shane secured what is believed to be the largest recovery for a single Legionnaires’ disease victim in U.S. history when he represented the family of a Legionnaires’ victim who was fatally exposed to the bacteria while using the hot tub at a Florida condominium community. No water management plan was in place to regularly test or properly sanitize the condominium’s water systems.
“This was a heartbreaking case because it never should have happened,” Mr. Shane said. “Legionnaires’ disease is entirely preventable when hotels and condominiums follow proper maintenance and safety protocols. This is especially true when the source of the bacteria is from a hot tub. No family should have to lose a loved one the way this family did.”
Leesfield & Partners has maintained a regular connection to numerous clients and co-counsel in New York, where this latest outbreak is located. Ira Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, attended Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn and also studied in Nassau County, Long Island. These deep roots have continued to shape his personal injury law firm, which he established in 1976 at just 29 years old.
For decades, Mr. Leesfield and the attorneys at Leesfield & Partners have maintained strong ties with the Empire State and its residents, who often travel to Florida. From an Upstate New York family who tragically lost their minor daughter in an electrocution accident to a Queens County couple who suffered unimaginable emotional and physical injuries following a negligent security incident at a hotel in Miami, our attorneys represent every client with the tenacity and compassion necessary to achieve the best possible outcome.
Previous Cases
Mr. Shane previously settled a Legionnaires’ Disease case that resulted in a $500,000 settlement after a condominium resident contracted the disease following use of the community’s hot tub.
In another Legionnaires’ Disease case, also handled by Mr. Shane, a woman was exposed to the bacteria at a Florida hotel. Throughout her stay, our client regularly used a hot tub on the property. On the same day as checkout, the woman began experiencing symptoms such as swelling and fever. After doctors diagnosed her with the disease, she went into septic shock and suffered an acute kidney injury.
In an investigation, it was discovered that the hotel failed to maintain the hot tub in accordance with industry standards. Our client continues to suffer from pain and fatigue. A $300,000 recovery amount was secured for the woman in that case.
Previously, the firm settled two cases of Legionnaires’ Disease resulting from the same resort. The plaintiffs in those cases were unrelated and were not staying at the resort at the same time. Mr. Leesfield and other attorneys at the firm were able to prove that the resort did not properly maintain or sanitize water systems that fueled multiple decorative fountains on the property.
A six-figure settlement for each client was reached in those cases.
Another Leesfield & Partners client was represented by Mr. Shane after they were exposed to the Legionella bacteria during their stay at an Airbnb. That case settled for six figures.
New York Cases
When representing a New York City worker involved in an accident in Broward County, Leesfield & partners obtained a verdict of $15 million for the client’s brain injury.
The firm previously represented a pilot from Manhattan who suffered from neurological injuries following a defective premises accident in Miami-Dade County. The firm recovered $7.75 million for the pilot.
Leesfield & Partners represented a mother and daughter from St. Lawrence County, New York, who were involved in an automobile accident with a truck in Palm B each County, Florida. Tragically, the two suffered catastrophic injuries as a result of the crash. The firm recovered $5.13 million for the mother and daughter.
When a family from Rochester, New York, was involved in a bus crash that killed their special needs son while on a cruise ship shore excursion, Leesfield & Partners tenaciously represented them and settled the case for $3 million.
The firm represented the family of a New York business woman who was tragically killed in a bicycle accident. The crash took place in Palm Beach County, Florida. The firm obtained a $1.8 million award for the woman’s family.
A 45-year-old woman was on a cruise ship when onboard medical staff misdiagnosed her cerebral aneurysm, a catastrophic mistake that resulted in the woman’s death. Leesfield & Partners recovered $1.5 million for the Liverpool, New York, family.
Leesfield & Partners settled the pedestrian hit-and-run case that killed the 83-year-old father of a Bronx, New York, family in Orange County, Florida, for $1.3 million.
Leesfield & Partners represented the New York family of a Broward County, Florida, retiree who died following a preventable accident within the retirement community. The firm obtained a $1 million wrongful death recovery for the family.
