A 1907 law exempts New York City from paying out damages on the 4,703 claims made for flooding damage from the remnants of Hurricane Ida in September 2021, according to city officials.
The storm killed at least 13 people on Sept. 1, 2021, and record rainfall swiftly soaked sewers, which overflowed and flooded people’s homes.
The claims allege that city negligence led to the sewers overflowing and the flood damage. A 1907 legal precedent, however, is the crux of NYC Comptroller Brad Lander’s denial of these claims.
The 115-year-old ruling in Holzhausen v. New York established that “municipalities across the state of New York, including the City of New York, are not liable for damage from ‘extraordinary and excessive rainfalls,’” per the letter Mr.