Thompson v. Newark Housing Authority

This case concerns the death of a five-year-old child in a fire. Plaintiffs allege a dangerous condition at defendant’s high-rise apartment building as a cause of death. Plaintiffs further assert the absence of smoke detectors as evidence of the dangerous condition. We granted certification, 99 N.J. 176 (1984), to review the Appellate Division's determination, in an unreported opinion, that defendant, Newark Housing Authority (the Authority), is immune from liability for plaintiffs’ claims under the “plan or design” immunity afforded by N.J.S.A. 59:4-6, part of the New Jersey Tort Claims Act,…