$30M Canada mall roof collapse suit filed

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ELLIOT LAKE, Ontario, July 7 (UPI) -- A $30 million class-action lawsuit was filed Friday in the deadly shopping mall roof collapse in Elliot Lake, Ontario, an attorney for the plaintiffs said.

The defendants named in the lawsuit, filed in Ontario Superior Court of Justice by Toronto lawyer Douglas Elliott, include the government of Ontario, the city of Elliot Lake, the Algo Center Mall and an engineering firm that recently inspected the building for the mall owners, the Toronto Star reported.

"There were plenty of warnings that trouble was coming," Elliott said.

Elliott represents the lead plaintiffs who owned the Hungry Jack's restaurant in the mall, the newspaper said.

Restaurant owner Jack Quinte said in a statement his wife Elaine was almost hit by a "large piece of concrete" that fell through the ceiling of Hungry Jack's about one year ago.

"We brought this dangerous situation to the attention of mall management and the city of Elliot Lake," he said. "We were not aware of any corrective action taken by either."

Two people were killed and about 20 injured in the June 23 roof collapse, which has triggered a police investigation into the cause.

"The Ontario government is in a position to do the right thing," Elliott said in a statement.

"Set up a compensation scheme in the coming weeks and months that will look after the people and the businesses affected, the people who have died or been injured, and the people who have been psychologically traumatized and the employees who have been out of work."