Three Irish students who stepped off the balcony and back into the apartment just moments before the Berkeley balcony collapose are suing over the “severe mental and emotional harm” they have suffered.
Aisling Talon, Caroline Conlan and Cliodhna Maloney are taking legal action against two companies involved; Blackrock – the proprietors of the Library Gardens apartments, and Greystar, the Library Gardens managers.
The legal proceedings have been filed in the California Superior Court in Almeda County, where specific details of what the three students witnessed on that fateful night have been revealed.
According to RTÉ, in the papers filed, the women say they suffered “severe mental and emotional harm”, having “seen, heard and felt the collapse of the balcony, followed by seeing and hearing their dearest friends plummet to the ground below”.
The filings state that the balcony had been significantly water damaged for the best part of a decade leading up to the tragedy; a fact that the owners of the property knew, as alleged in the legal proceedings.
The lawyers representing the three Irish women claim that although the balcony deck was constructed in October 2005, the waterproof coating was not applied until January 2006 at the earliest.
Caroline Conlan, Cliodhna Maloney and Aisling Tallon all shared the apartment with Aoife Beary; one of the six victims of the tragedy on June 16 last year.
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