July 24, 2026
Joshua Wurtzel was recently quoted in Commercial Observer discussing potential litigation that could arise following the structural emergency at the former Pfizer headquarters in Midtown Manhattan.
The July incident, which involved two columns buckling amid the building’s major office-to-residential conversion, prompted evacuations and the closure of several blocks in the surrounding area. While no injuries were reported, significant corrective work is expected.
Joshua explains that the incident could lead to disputes over responsibility for the necessary repairs and the costs associated with correcting the work. “There’s a lot of correction that needs to take place,” Joshua says. “Who’s responsible for doing that? Who’s responsible for paying for it?”
He notes that litigation could also center on whether the work was performed improperly and whether parties should be responsible for paying to correct or replace work that was not done properly. Determining responsibility could become complicated given the number of parties involved in a major construction project, including the owner, contractors, architects and engineers.
Joshua’s comments come as New York City continues to see a significant increase in office-to-residential conversions, highlighting the potential legal and financial issues that can arise when complex construction projects encounter structural problems.
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Joshua Wurtzel is a partner at Schlam Stone & Dolan LLP who focuses his practice on complex commercial, real-estate, and commercial-lending litigation. He has been recognized on the Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch® in America” list in Commercial Litigation and the New York Metro Super Lawyers® "Rising Stars" list in Business Litigation.