In 1991, the One Meridian Office Tower Plaza, a 38-story high rise tower located in the heart of downtown Philadelphia, caught fire. Almost none of the lower stories were equipped with sprinklers. The fire burned out of control for hours until it reached the upper levels, which had sprinklers. The sprinklers installed on the upper level floors extinguished the fire in a matter of minutes.
The overall damage to the building, property and businesses totaled over $1 billion. Numerous suits were filed, principally by the businesses located in the building and the building owner, against nearly 100 defendants who had provided products and services to the building over the years. After extensive litigation and formation of an active defense group, we successfully resolved numerous pending lawsuits filed against our clients.