BALTIMORE, MD (Monday, April 15, 2024) – Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced that the City of Baltimore is taking legal steps to proactively and aggressively address the catastrophic impact the Key Bridge collapse has had on the City of Baltimore and its residents, including the families of the victims, business owners, and longshoremen and other Port workers. The tragedy has resulted not only in a devastating loss of life, but significant economic hardship to businesses and employees who rely upon the Port of Baltimore for revenue and wages, and to the City itself.

Today, the City of Baltimore announced a partnership with the national complex issues and trial firm DiCello Levitt and Philadelphia law firm Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky Trial Lawyers to launch legal action to hold the wrongdoers responsible and to mitigate the immediate and long-term harm caused to Baltimore City residents. Through this engagement, the City of Baltimore will take decisive action to hold responsible all entities accountable for the Key Bridge tragedy, including the owner, charterer, manager/operator, and the manufacturer of the M/V Dali, as well as any other potentially liable third parties.

“This unthinkable tragedy has taken Marylanders from their loved ones, and risked the livelihoods of thousands of Baltimoreans who rely on the Port of Baltimore,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “We are continuing to do everything in our power to support everyone impacted here and will continue to recognize the human impact this event has had.  Part of that work needs to be seeking recourse from those who may potentially be responsible, and with the ship’s owner filing a petition to limit its liability mere days after the incident, we need to act equally as quickly to protect the City’s interests.”

“It is time to hold the M/V Dali’s owner, charterer, manager/operator, manufacturer, and others accountable for the City’s substantial and ongoing economic losses arising from this tragedy, as well as for the unimaginable distress they have caused to the City’s residents, businesses, workers, and their families,” City Solicitor Ebony M. Thompson said.

“We will bring significant economic and environmental loss claims on behalf of the City of Baltimore and its residents against the M/V Dali’s owner, charterer, manager/operator, manufacturer and others, to hold them accountable for causing one of the largest inner-city maritime disasters in U.S. history,” said DiCello Levitt Co-Founder Adam Levitt. “We need to hold these entities accountable for the emotional toll and the substantial financial losses that the City of Baltimore and its residents are facing.”

The City will also be represented by the Law Department’s Chief of Affirmative Litigation, Sara Gross.

Today’s announcement follows the release of a new Action Plan from Mayor Scott that outlines all of the steps the City is taking to support displaced workers and others affected by the bridge collapse.