Baltimore County hires law firms to pursue claims over Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse

BALTIMORE -- Baltimore County plans to partner with two specialized law firms in order to "pursue and address" legal claims against the parties responsible for the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, according to a statement Tuesday. 

Grant & Eisenhofer P.A. and Bekman, Marder, Hopper, Malarkey & Perlin, LLC, will help the county mitigate losses incurred from the collapse.

"Through this partnership, Baltimore County will aggressively take steps to hold all potentially liable parties responsible and to mitigate the extensive losses that the County, residents, businesses, and other impacted stakeholders experienced due to this devastating catastrophe," the county said in a statement.

Grant & Eisenhofer P.A. specializes in "high-stakes plaintiff advocacy" and has recovered billions of dollars in losses suffered by state and local governments, the county said. Bekman, Marder, Hopper, Malarkey, & Perlin specializes in admiralty and maritime law.

Baltimore County is not the only jurisdiction taking legal action after the Key Bridge collapse. In April, Baltimore City filed a lawsuit against the owners and managers of the Dali, claiming they were negligent in letting the ship leave the Port of Baltimore without failing to fix known power problems.

Baltimore business owners also filed a class-action lawsuit against Dali's owners - seeking to recoup on revenue losses they endured as a result of the incident. 

A preliminary report from the NTSB revealed that the Dali lost power multiple times before it left the Port of Baltimore and collided with the Key Bridge, causing its collapse and the deaths of six construction workers.