Family of teen who died at Plaza Tower plans lawsuit

The big picture: The family of Jacque St. Ann, 17, wants to see the building secured with a permanent fence, boarded-up entrances and regular patrols, according to Cedric Richmond and James Williams with law firm Chehardy Sherman Williams.

• They haven't heard from the estate of Joe Jaeger, which owns the building, since their son died Aug. 15, Williams said.
• "They could come forward right now, today, and say, 'We're sorry. Here's what we did wrong. Here's what we didn't do to save your child. Here's what should have been done differently. Here is what we will do in the future. And here is everything we can do under the law to make it right,'" Williams said.
• The lawsuit will seek a determination of who was at fault, along with financial compensation, the lawyers said. They declined to say how much or give a timeline for when they will file.

Zoom in: Richmond contends that "no one broke into the building" because it was "wide open" and said the security company wasn't patrolling.

• "Everyone knew that this building was a hangout for kids, and when you have kids hanging out and showing it on social media, that amounts to an invitation," Richmond said.
• He said they have since learned that another group was already in the building when St. Ann and his friends arrived. St. Ann fell while trying to help an injured friend, Richmond said.

Between the lines: The lawyers aren't currently targeting the city because their research found that officials have already levied fines and "are exhausting the limits of what that framework allows them to do," Williams said.

Of note: Representatives for Joe Jaeger's estate did not immediately respond to a request for comment.