A 2015 outbreak of Legionnaires' disease, traced to a cooling tower at a hotel, forced New York City to address a problem that had long been suspected but never adequately addressed: the role of buildings in spreading Legionella bacteria through the air.

Two construction workers who were infected with Legionnaires’ disease after a ‘completely preventable’ outbreak occurred in New York City are launching lawsuits against two companies for alleged negligence that led to the outbreak.

An outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in New York was "completely preventable," civil rights attorney Ben Crump says.