Lawyers representing several immigrant workers at the Hard Rock Cafe in New Orleans filed lawsuits in the Orleans Parish Civil Court for personal injuries and negligence after the building's collapse on Saturday, October 9th.
After the incident, Delmer Joel Ramirez Palma (originally from Honduras) was detained at a wildlife refuge in New Orleans East 24 hours after he spoke about his injuries to a spanish speaking support network. He was originally charged under the ruse of 'fishing without a license' and is being held at an immigration detention center in Oakland, Louisiana (3 + hours from New Orleans). As of Friday October 21st (11 days after the incident) Nola.com reports that Ramirez has still not received the much needed medical attention-namely a surgery-his lawyers insist is crucial for his recovery.
According to the most recently updated data, the death roll rose from 2 to 3 after officials abandoned the search and rescue efforts to find worker Jose Ponce Arreola. Some individuals speculate the death toll is (or will be) much higher after the full investigation. Jose Ponce Arreola, who was originally from Guachinango, Jalisco was one of the Hard Rock Cafe's immigrant workers who planned to retire and return to his home and family in Mexico before his (quickly) approaching 64th birthday.
