Attorney Ben Crump and Rev. Al Sharpton to Announce Lawsuit in Harlem Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak

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Aug 18, 2025

NEW YORK, N.Y. (August 18, 2025) – Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump, co-counsel from the law firm Weitz & Luxenberg, and national civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN), will hold a Tuesday press conference to announce the filing of a lawsuit against a construction company believed to be responsible for a deadly Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Harlem.

Attorney Crump and Weitz & Luxenberg have been retained by a Harlem resident who was hospitalized for a week after contracting Legionnaires’ disease in late July. New York City health officials confirmed the disease was present in 12 cooling towers that serve 10 buildings in Central Harlem. Of the more than 100 cases, dozens have been hospitalized and at least four people have died. Impacted buildings included Harlem Hospital, a heavily trafficked retail center, and a condo building.Legionnaires’ disease is a form of pneumonia stemming from the Legionella bacteria that grows in warm water. City officials found traces of the disease in said cooling towers, which use water and a fan to keep large buildings cool. WHO:
Impacted Harlem resident and their family
Attorney Ben CrumpWeitz & Luxenberg
Rev. Al Sharpton, National Action NetworkWHEN:
Tuesday, August 19, 2025
10:30 a.m. ETWHERE:
House of Justice
106 W 145th Street at Malcolm X Boulevard
New York, NY 10039