The Freedom Tower

Negligence charges against contractors, designers and architects involved in construction of World Trade Center buildings destroyed in the 9/11 attacks have been blocked by a federal court order.
Southern District Court Judge Alvin Hellerstein says those firms, like the City of New York itself, are protected by the New York State Defense Emergency Act. It grants immunity for any actions taken by covered parties to prepare for or respond to attacks on the state or the country. In his ruling, Hellerstein said contractors, designers and architects who help build and maintain a 24 hour emergency operation at 7 World Trade Center adjacent to the Twin Towers were also covered by the act.
Litigation claiming negligent design and construction piled up against the designers and builders of the World Trade Center following the 2001 attacks. One of the chief targets of these lawsuits concerned a decision to keep large diesel fuel takes on the site. When those tanks erupted, it made fighting the fire that ensued nearly impossible, litigants claimed.