Brooklyn building collapse: Records reveal lawsuits against next-door contractor

We're learning new details about the deadly Brooklyn building collapse and what kind of construction was happening next door. All right, Fox 5's Frances Wang has been sifting through the records and breaks down what she uncovered. The community, including survivors, have raised concerns about the construction activity next door to the Brooklyn building that collapsed. Now, as investigators work to determine what went wrong, we've been looking through city documents and court records, uncovering details about the contractor, its history, and whether required safety measures were in place before construction began. It was traumatizing. They were doing construction next door. Her home, now exposed for the world to see, clothes still hanging in the closet, where exterior walls once stood. For those who called this three-story flatbush building home, the construction next door had already been a growing source of concern. And that thump, boom! And you would just jump. And you try to get used to it, but it wasn't normal. And I kept saying to my neighbors and my husband, something is wrong. City work permits identify townhouse builders as a general contractor on the project. The Department of Buildings confirms excavation was underway when the building came down. Eight people were killed, including Jose Luis Cahuana Cosquillo, a 26-year-old construction worker from Ecuador. His mentor telling us his pregnant wife is expecting this Sunday, and that several construction workers feared for their safety, sending him this photo before the collapse. One of them started hearing the cracking, and then they went and started running. But he noticed this. But it was not supporting. I have pictures of, he showed me how the building was supported. We searched New York State court records and found townhouse builders named in dozens of civil lawsuits over the years, including cases alleging injuries to construction workers and property damage. In one case, a Brooklyn judge ruled in 2024 that safety violations on a 2022 construction site contributed to a worker's injury by a falling steel beam. In another lawsuit filed in 2020, the company was accused of negligence in its excavation activity at a 2016. Brooklyn construction site. The complaint alleged that the work caused crack walls, foundational damage, and structural instability to neighboring properties. Meantime, survivors of this week's deadly collapse. You would hear that thump and that movement in your soul. BEGGING FOR JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY. A PRE-CONSTRUCTION SURVEY DOCUMENTED THE COLLAPSED BUILDINGS DETERIORATING WALL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING VISIBLE CRACKS. ANOTHER REPORT OUTLINED THAT THE NEIGHBORING BUILDINGS NEEDED UNDERPINNING, A METHOD USED TO SUPPORT EXISTING FOUNDATIONS. And shoring, temporary supports used to help stabilize excavations and adjacent structures. Were these recommendations followed? That's what investigators are looking into. But those feeling the losses right now don't seem to think so. I work in a construction area and I know and I see it's illogical to support a building with just one piece of metal. Our review found townhouse builders listed on another active project right now, just four miles away from the collapse. Meantime, the cause still remains under investigation. In the newsroom, I'm Frances Wang, Fox 5 News. And Fox 5 attempted to reach townhouse builders several times, but have still not heard back.