Second lawsuit filed against Television Tower, Inc.
BALTIMORE -- More legal action was filed Wednesday against Television Tower, Incorporated, otherwise known as TTI, involving the candelabra tower on Baltimore's Television Hill.
TTI is a joint venture of three television stations on the Hill, including WJZ.
Attorneys representing residents in the Woodberry community filed for class action Wednesday, May 10th, against TTI and Skyline Tower Painting.
TTI hired Skyline, out of Nebraska, to paint the tower.
When work began in May 2022, paint chips fell as the Skyline crews did some of the preparation work.
According to the complaint, filed in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, TTI and its painting contractor, Skyline Tower Painting, were negligent in connection with the release of chips into the neighborhood.
The suit goes on to allege that because the paint chips contained lead, residents have seen depreciation of their property values.
Last week, the Maryland Department of Environment filed a civil suit against Skyline and TTI, also alleging lead paint violations.
Wednesday's class action filing seeks damages for those residents, according to William H. Murphy of the Murphy, Falcon & Murphy Law Firm. Murphy and his team held a news conference in Rockrose Park and said, "We got involved in this case because of the community outrage that resulted from these actions, and we have been working with the Woodberry community since September of 2022."
Attorneys for the Woodberry community say they are seeking a jury trial.
TTI released a statement Wednesday.
"TTI is disappointed by the recently filed lawsuits. TTI has been sending regular communications to MDE and the neighborhood regarding TTI's diligent and steady progress toward safely repainting the broadcast tower. TTI hired independent contractors in late June 2022 to immediately initiate cleanup efforts and maintain the cleanup of any additional paint fragments that fell in the neighborhood in the vicinity of the tower. The contractors conduct regular inspections and will continue to do so until the repainting is complete. TTI conducted soil sampling in the summer of 2022 to evaluate any potential for lead issues, and the results were either non-detectable for lead or below the concentration limit for residential soil based on MDE guidance. TTI values its relationship with the community, as a longstanding member, and remains focused on safety and transparency as the tower repainting project moves forward. TTI looks forward to clarifying the record and will vigorously defend the lawsuits."
Calls placed to Nebraska-based Skyline Tower Painting were not returned.
