Attorney Ben Crump and Rev. Al Sharpton to Announce Lawsuit in Harlem Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak

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Attorney Ben Crump and Rev. Al Sharpton to Announce Lawsuit in Harlem Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak

NEW YORK, N.Y. (August 18, 2025) - Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump, co-counsel from the law firm Weitz & Luxenberg, and national civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN), will hold a Wednesday press conference to announce the filing of a lawsuit against a construction company believed to be responsible for a deadly Legionnaires' disease outbreak in Harlem.

Attorney Crump and Weitz & Luxenberg have been retained by construction workers doing work in Harlem who were hospitalized after contracting Legionnaires' disease in late July. New York City health officials confirmed the disease was present in 12 cooling towers that serve 10 buildings in central Harlem. Of the more than 100 diagnosed cases, over a dozen have been hospitalized and at least four people have died. Impacted buildings include Harlem Hospital, a heavily trafficked retail center, and a condo building.

It is believed that the cooling towers at Harlem Hospital were filled with rainwater after several large July storms. The water was left untreated, which permitted bacteria to spread causing workers at the site to become sick.

Legionnaires' disease is a form of pneumonia stemming from the Legionella bacteria that grows in warm water. City officials found traces of the disease in the building's cooling towers, which use water and a fan to keep large buildings cool.

WHO:
Impacted workers and their families
Attorney Ben Crump
Rev. Al Sharpton, National Action Network
Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C.:
Attorney Jared Scotto
Attorney Ilana Wolk
Attorney Avelino Garcia

WHEN:
Wednesday, August 20, 2025
10:30 a.m. ET

WHERE:
House of Justice
106 W 145th Street at Malcolm X Boulevard
New York, NY 10039