Upper East Side cooling-tower cluster
As of mid-July 2026, the NYC Health Department has confirmed dozens of Legionnaires' cases — with many hospitalizations — tied to a cooling-tower source across ZIP codes 10028, 10128, and 10075 (Carnegie Hill, Yorkville, and Lenox Hill). The City is testing every cooling tower in the area and has said it will publish the addresses of buildings that test positive. If you lived, worked, or spent time in those neighborhoods since late June and came down with pneumonia-like symptoms, talk to us before the record trail cools.
- ✓ In 10028 / 10128 / 10075 since late June
- ✓ Fever, cough, or trouble breathing
- ✓ Diagnosed with pneumonia or Legionnaires'
In NYC, keeping cooling towers safe is the law — not a courtesy
Under NYC's cooling-tower rules (Local Law 77, tightened by Local Law 159), owners must register, treat, and regularly test every tower for Legionella. When they don't, the bacteria multiply — and these parties can be on the hook:
Building owners & landlords
The owner of the building with the tower is responsible for registering, treating, disinfecting, and testing it on schedule. Skipping those steps is where most outbreaks begin.
Co-op & condo boards + managing agents
A co-op or condo board that owns the rooftop tower is the legal "owner" under the law, and its managing agent shares the duty to maintain it. Both can be named.
Water-treatment & tower contractors
Companies hired to clean, disinfect, and dose the water with biocide can be liable too when sloppy service lets Legionella take hold.
Hotels, hospitals & nursing homes
Larger buildings with their own towers and water systems carry the same duty — and the people inside are often the most vulnerable to serious illness.
You don't have to live in the building that made you sick. Cooling-tower mist can travel for blocks, so the tower responsible may belong to a nearby property. Liability follows the source of the bacteria — not your address.
From "I got sick" to "here's who's responsible"
These cases are provable — the science and the paper trail usually point to a specific tower.
Your diagnosis + timeline
Symptoms show 2–14 days after exposure. We map where you lived, worked, or visited in that window.
Source identification
The Health Department matches the Legionella strain from your test to a specific cooling tower — and is now naming buildings that test positive.
The compliance record
We pull the building's Local Law 77/159 testing, disinfection, and inspection history. Gaps and ignored results are negligence.
The claim
We bring it against the owner, manager, or contractor whose neglect let the bacteria grow — and pursue full compensation.
Legionnaires' can put you in the hospital. The costs shouldn't fall on you.
Every case is different, but when a building's negligence caused your illness, you may be able to recover:
- ✓ Hospital bills and ongoing medical costs
- ✓ Lost wages and lost earning capacity
- ✓ Pain, suffering, and long-term lung or health damage
- ✓ Wrongful death compensation for families who lost someone
Five boroughs, one local firm
Madison Law Firm PLLC is on Fifth Avenue. We take Legionnaires' cases across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island.
We move fast — and bring in muscle
Records disappear. We start the investigation early and partner with co-counsel on large multi-victim clusters so your case has the firepower it needs.
Nothing upfront
The consultation is free and confidential, in English or Español. You pay nothing unless we recover for you.
Legionnaires' claims, in plain English
The Health Department can match the exact Legionella strain from your test to a specific tower, and your symptoms have a tight 2–14 day exposure window. Together those usually point to the source. We handle that investigation.
Yes. The tower that sickened you may belong to a nearby building, since the mist travels. Your claim follows whoever owns and neglected that tower, not where you live.
You may. These claims are based on where you were exposed, not on being a tenant. If you spent time in an outbreak zone during the exposure window and got sick, it's worth a look.
Legionnaires' is fatal for roughly 1 in 10 people who get it. If you lost a loved one, the family or estate may bring a wrongful death claim. We handle these with care.
Deadlines are strict — and if a public building or city-owned tower is involved, a formal notice of claim can be due in as little as 90 days. Don't wait to find out where you stand.
Nothing. The review is free and confidential, and we work these cases with no fee unless we win.
An outbreak isn't bad luck. It's usually neglect.
Let's find out who's responsible. Free, confidential, no fee unless we win.
We represent Legionnaires' disease victims across all five boroughs — Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island — and anywhere an NYC cooling-tower outbreak reaches.