A $25 million federal lawsuit has been filed, claiming Akron landlord Joni Laidig failed to install smoke detectors in the home on E. Tallmadge Avenue that caught fire.

Four members of an Akron family, including two young children died in that fire in the early morning hours of December 3. Three of the four who died were named in the lawsuit that was filed on behalf of their estate. 

The lawsuit claims that 37-year-old Omar Riley and his two daughters, 9-year-old Shanice and 8-year-old Aniyla, all died "as a result of the lack of smoke detectors." 

Shirley Wallis, Riley's girlfriend, also died in the fire, but was not named in the lawsuit. Her 12-year-old daughter Shaniya Simpson was able to escape the fire alive. 

The investigation and now lawsuit are both ongoing.