A survivor of the Lincoln Park porch collapse that killed 13 people alleged in a federal lawsuit Thursday that the city partially blamed him for the collapse in retaliation for his family speaking out about lax building inspections in the tragedy’s aftermath.
Lawyers for John Koranda contend that the city, in a bid to deflect its own blame, “manufactured” evidence that Koranda and a second partygoer contributed to the collapse by jumping on the overcrowded porch.
“To me, the [city’s] case is absolutely ridiculous,” said Koranda, whose brother, Robert, died in the June 2003 collapse of the rear three-level porch at 713 W. Wrightwood Ave. “I think the city knows they’re at fault. They’re definitely stretching, trying to divert some blame.”
The city denied the accusations of retaliation and defended its claims against Koranda, saying five responders to the emergency said survivors talked of individuals jumping on the porch at the time of the collapse.
This marks the second lawsuit by the Koranda family over the porch collapse.
In a pending lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court, the estate of Robert Koranda and nearly two dozen other plaintiffs killed or injured in the collapse have accused the city of gross incompetence.
The suit alleged the city’s Building Department was understaffed and its employees untrained and unqualified, many having obtained their jobs through political patronage.
