HARLEM, N.Y., May 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The first lawsuit was filed on May 7^th against the City of New York in the 2025 Harlem Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak. The lawsuit was filed by Legionnaires' disease lawyers, Jory Lange and Scott Harford. This is the first lawsuit in the 2025 Harlem Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak naming any City of New York entities as Defendants. The lawsuit names, for the first time, three New York City Defendants: the New York City Health + Hospitals Corp., the NYC Public Health Laboratory a/k/a New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and New York City Economic Development Corporation.

Legionnaires' disease lawyers, Jory Lange and Scott Harford, have in-depth experience with Legionnaires' disease lawsuits in New York City and have helped Legionnaires' disease victims from Harlem, Washington Heights, the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn in previous Legionnaires' disease outbreaks. Last fall, The Lange Law Firm, PLLC and Harford P.C. filed Legionnaires' disease lawsuits on behalf of 16 people after contracting Legionnaires' disease in the same 2025 Harlem Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak.

This is not the first time Lange and Harford have sued the City of New York for a Legionnaires' disease outbreak linked to Harlem Hospital. Lange and Harford previously sued New York City Health + Hospitals Corp. in the 2021 Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak linked to Harlem Hospital.

Over 50 people who were sickened with Legionnaires' disease in the 2025 Harlem Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak have hired Jory Lange and Scott Harford to help them seek legal compensation.

Harlem Hospital Causes Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak in Harlem—Again

Two buildings owned by New York City are at the center of this outbreak, Harlem Hospital and a building that is under construction at 40 West 137^th Street. "[T]he Health Department's Public Health Laboratory matched the Legionella strain found in cooling towers located at two locations: NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem (Harlem Hospital), located at 506 Lenox Avenue, and a nearby construction site overseen by NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and construction contractor Skanska USA located at 40 West 137th Street with the strain found in seven patients," according to NYC Health Department. The 40 West 137^th Street construction site is owned by NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene ("NYC Health Department"). It is slated to be the new site for the NYC Health Department Public Health Laboratory.

This is the second Harlem Legionnaires' disease outbreak linked to Harlem Hospital's cooling tower. In 2021, 18 people were hospitalized with Legionnaires' disease. In the 2021 Harlem Legionnaires' disease outbreak, "The Lab's analyses showed that the bacteria from one of the clinical specimens matched a cooling tower at NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem," according to NYC Health Department.

Largest Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak in NYC in 10 Years

At least 114 people contracted Legionnaires' disease, 90 people were hospitalized, and 7 people died in the current Harlem Legionnaires' disease outbreak. "This is the largest Legionnaires' disease outbreak in NYC since the 2015 Opera House Hotel Legionnaires' disease outbreak," says Jory Lange.

This Outbreak Was Preventable

"The Harlem Legionnaires' disease outbreak was completely preventable," says lawyer Jory Lange. "No one had to get sick. No one had to be hospitalized. No one had to die. If the building owners and their contractors had just properly treated the water and maintained their cooling towers, none of this would have happened.

Could Building Owners Have Prevented the Harlem Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak?

"Absolutely. It's not rocket science. The water in cooling towers has to be properly treated with antimicrobials to prevent legionella bacteria from growing out of control inside the cooling towers. It's not that different from treating the water in a pool or hot tub. Building owners have a legal obligation to make sure that their cooling towers are properly operated and maintained. But when building owners fail to properly maintain their cooling towers, the consequence can be catastrophic," says Jory Lange. "That's what we're seeing in the Harlem Legionnaires' disease outbreak."

"Legionnaires' disease is a very serious illness. Most people who get Legionnaires' disease will require hospitalization. 1 out of every 10 people who become sick with Legionnaires' disease will die. This is why ensuring outbreaks like this are prevented is critical," says prominent Manhattan attorney Scott Harford.

Legionnaires' Disease Victims' Rights

"It's important that people know their rights," says Jory Lange. "Many people don't know that they may have a right to legal compensation if they got Legionnaires' disease from a cooling tower in Harlem."

Fifty victims of the Harlem Legionnaires' disease outbreak have asked Legionnaires' disease lawyers Jory Lange and Scott Harford to help them seek legal compensation. The lawyers are helping victims of the Harlem Legionnaires disease outbreak seek compensation for their medical expenses, lost wages, and the terrible ordeal they have been through.

About the legal team:

Jory Lange and Scott Harford have worked together to get victims compensation in multiple Legionnaires' disease outbreaks in New York.

Jory Lange with The Lange Law Firm, PLLC is one of the United States' leading Legionnaires' disease lawyers. Mr. Lange represents families harmed in Legionnaires' disease outbreaks across the United States and has won millions of dollars for his clients. Jory has represented injured New Yorkers in multiple Legionnaires' disease outbreaks in New York City.

Scott A. Harford with Harford P.C. is an accomplished personal injury plaintiffs' attorney licensed to practice in New York and New Jersey. He has represented hundreds of individual clients located across the country harmed by Legionella bacteria, defective consumer products, and toxic chemicals.

If you or a loved one contracted Legionnaires' disease, we can help. Call us for a free no obligation legal consultation at (833) 330-3663 or send us an e-mail here.

Contacts
The Lange Law Firm, PLLC
Jory D. Lange Jr.
www.MakeFoodSafe.com
Candess Zona-Mendola
833.330.3663
candess@jorylange.com

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SOURCE The Lange Law Firm