Lawyers consider class action in Davenport building collapse; city releases investigator contracts

After the collapse May 28, three men were found dead and an estimated 100 households were displaced.

And one lawyer who has not yet filed in Scott County has met with tenants of 324 Main St. and surrounding buildings about joining a class-action lawsuit.

George Jones, an attorney from southern Iowa, advertised on Facebook this week meetings with attorneys from his office on Thursday, who also were surveying the damage.

A class-action suit allows a single person or a small number of people to represent the interest of a larger, similar group, according to the Iowa Judicial Branch. A judge must authorize class-action status.

In the days after the building fell, filings in one suit brought by tenant Mildred Harrington indicated it would seek that status.

Represented by West Des Moines attorney John Goplerud, they are suing Andrew Wold, Andrew Wold Investments, LLC, Bi-State Masonry, Select Structural Engineering and the city of Davenport.

City releases contracts with firms investigating the collapse

The city announced June 14 it had hired two firms to investigate the partial collapse at 324 Main St., SOCOTEC and White Birch Group.

Communications with those groups started before that. In a signed "work authorization agreement" dated June 5, the SOCOTEC CEO Robert Vecchio writes "Client has engaged (SOCOTEC Engineering, Inc.) to perform a forensic investigation to attempt to determine the cause and origin of the partial building collapse."

The SOCOTEC agreement doesn't go into detail about work to be performed but lists hourly rates of 14 titles that range from $120 an hour to $490 an hour.

The White Birch Group submitted an agreement for "investigative support services" at 324 Main St. collapse incident in an emailed memo dated June 2.

The scope of services listed include reviewing documents and evidence pertinent to the building collapse, reports issued, perform site evaluations and technical analysis, prepare exhibits, issue findings and conclusions "in oral and/or report format, whichever may be requested," and provide expert witness testimony in deposition.

The agreement stated the project manager, Scott Nacheman, would bill at a rate at $370 per hour.

Neither agreement gave a total cost estimate. An amendment to the city budget being voted on Wednesday includes $3 million for the 324 Main St. response and contracts signed. The bulk of the $3 million is for a demolition contract with D.W. Zinser. $500,000 of it is for the public safety response.