The dependents of victims of Rana Plaza that collapsed near Dhaka have sued the government of Bangladesh and three leading global apparel brands in the United States, say industry sources. According to the National Law Journal, published from Washington, the lawsuit filed with the US district court in Columbia last week claimed the brands Wal-Mart, J C Penney, The Children’s Place and the Bangladesh government were aware of the unsafe conditions of the building. The construction of the Rana Plaza building did not meet even basic building safety standards. Bangladesh breached its duty to its citizens by failing to properly inspect the building, failing to ensure compliance with local construction standards, and, most significantly, failing to ensure the safety of factory workers, said the lawsuit.

The lawsuit further claimed that retailer defendants breached their duty to workers in the Rana Plaza building by failing to implement standards and oversight mechanisms designed to ensure the health and safety of workers who manufactured clothing for their stores. As a result of defendants’ unlawful conduct, thousands of workers at the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh suffered death and serious bodily injury.

Abdur Rahaman as personal representative of Sharifa Begum and Mahamudul Hasan Hridoy, the two victims filed the lawsuit through his attorney. Sharifa died and Hasan was maimed. When the eight-story building collapsed 1,129 people were killed and about 2,515 people were injured. Many of the victims were women and children, said the lawsuit.