Paul Starita, a Partner at Singleton Schreiber, was recently featured in a Mercury News article titled “Fremont resident sues apartment complex after deadly fire", which covers a lawsuit filed in the aftermath of a devastating apartment fire in Fremont, California.
The April 6 fire at the Waterstone Apartments claimed the lives of two women, injured two others, and displaced dozens of residents. The lawsuit, filed by fourth-floor resident Haolin Zhang, alleges that poor property management and hazardous conditions contributed to the tragedy. Zhang had to be rescued from his balcony by emergency responders and is now seeking damages for health risks, emotional trauma, and loss of property.
In the article, Starita emphasized the lasting physical and psychological toll such incidents can have on residents:
“It’s a fire. People are deathly afraid of fire. The thought of being burned alive—I can’t think of a more horrible death,” said Starita. “That impacts [my client], and I think that’s going to impact everyone in that apartment building. Whether they realize it initially or not, they’re going to be dealing with that for a while, and maybe forever.”
