Lawyer Doug Sheff announced the planned litigation during a news conference Thursday morning as he stood next to a large photograph of Leonel Rondon in his law office. Rondon’s family did not attend.

“This is a case that should touch the sensibilities of every working family in Massachusetts,” Sheff told reporters. “It’s so basic to all of us that we be able to live in our homes and our workplaces safely. This puts a cloud over safety for everybody in the area.”

“We believe that there was reckless behavior,” Sheff said. “it shouldn’t happen ever and it could not happen, in our opinion without reckless behavior, without a lack of care in so many areas it’s just unfathomable.”