On June 29, 2003, an overloaded balcony collapsed during a party in a Chicago, Illinois apartment building, killing thirteen people and seriously injuring fifty-seven others.

The ensuing investigation was highly critical of the way the balcony was built, finding a large number of errors in its construction which ultimately resulted in the collapse.

The porch was attached to the rear of an apartment building located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of the city's North Side.

[4] The balcony also had inadequate supports,[4] was floored with undersized lengths of wood, and was attached to the walls with screws that were too short.

[3] However, the City of Chicago's Inspectional Services Department visited the site over five times and never noticed or cited the code violations noted above.

Those named in the complaint included LG Properties, the company's president Philip Pappas, and George Koutroumos, the contractor who built the balcony.

[4] The city was reportedly seeking $500 per violation for each day the structure was in existence, totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars, and a court order for the replacement of the balcony.

[3] Pappas also claims that a police report says two unnamed witnesses informed a paramedic that they saw several people "jumping up and down" on the balconies shortly prior to the collapse.

The city alleged that the balcony collapse occurred after defendants Fenton-Hathaway and Koranda "intentionally and negligently" began jumping up and down on the porch.