Metro

Landlord sues Ed Norton, NYC over deadly ‘Motherless Brooklyn’ fire

The landlord of the Harlem building used to film Edward Norton’s movie “Motherless Brooklyn” is suing over the deadly set blaze that killed an FDNY firefighter in 2018.

In the latest in the ongoing legal saga, Vincent Sollazzo Lampkin filed two summonses on Sunday against the Golden Globe winner, the film’s productions companies and the city.

The landlord of 773 St. Nicholas Avenue is seeking damages for breach of contract, negligence and other claims related to the basement inferno that killed FDNY firefighter Michael Davidson on March 22, 2018.

The pair of three-page summonses, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, also seeks damages “related to the demolition … and construction” of the doomed building — and for penalties imposed by the city against the landlord to tear it down.

Sollazzo Lampkin accuses the city in the court papers of negligence related to the “granting of permits for the production of a movie, and in the conduct prior to and during a fire occurring at the subject premises.”

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Vincent Sollazzo Lampkin (inset) the landlord of the building that caught fire during the filming of "Motherless Brooklyn" in 2018.
Vincent Sollazzo Lampkin (inset) the landlord of the building that caught fire during the filming of “Motherless Brooklyn” in 2018.SplashNews; New York Post
Ed Norton at the scene of the Harlem fire on March 23, 2018.
Ed Norton at the scene of the Harlem fire on March 23, 2018.
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The 2018 fire in Harlem and FDNY firefighter Michael R. Davidson, who died in the fire.
The 2018 fire in Harlem and FDNY firefighter Michael R. Davidson, who died in the fire.SplashNews; FDNY
Firefighter Michael R. Davidson who passed away while fighting the 2018 fire in Harlem.Paul Martinka
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The tragedy has sparked years of legal battles — Sollazzo Lampkin, the city, Norton and the production companies have all been sued multiple times, including by Davidson’s widow, tenants displaced by the blaze and a nearby business.

Summonses are typically filed in court alongside complaints

The two new cases brought by Sollazzo Lampkin did not immediately include complaints, which typically lay out details of a lawsuit.

In her suit against the city, the smoke eater’s widow Eileen Davidson claimed it issued permits for filming despite knowing that there were open violations in the building.

She accused the city of also being aware that the building had no working sprinklers, even though there were highly combustible film materials being used.

Eileen also brought a wrongful death lawsuit against the production company and Sollazzo Lampkin for allegedly altering the building and making it more dangerous.

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The cover of the New York Post on March 24, 2018 depicting the deadly Harlem fire.
The cover of the New York Post on March 24, 2018 depicting the deadly Harlem fire.New York Post
The aftermath of the 2018 Harlem fire.
The aftermath of the 2018 Harlem fire.Richard Harbus
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Ed Norton during the filming of "Motherless Brooklyn" in 2018.
Ed Norton during the filming of “Motherless Brooklyn” in 2018.SteveSands/NewYorkNewswire/MEGA
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Various tenants who lost their homes after the fire also sued the landlord and the production company. Those cases have since been settled.

A spa in the building next door brought a $2 million lawsuit claiming the business was forced to close for nearly two years because of smoke and water damage from the fire.

A spokesperson with the city Law Department told The Post, “The city has not yet been served with this particular lawsuit, so do not yet have a comment.”

Lawyers for the production company and reps for Norton did not immediately return a request for comment.