Lawsuit Over One WTC Design Barely Survives: Report

WORLD TRADE CENTER, NY — A lawsuit alleging copyright infringement over the design of One World Trade Center barely moves forward, according to a report.

A Manhattan judge allowed the lawsuit to move ahead on three claims in the suit, but "only by the skin of their teeth," a judge wrote, as reported by The Real Deal.

The move comes about two years after Jeehoon Park sued developers and architects in 2017 over the design of the Lower Manhattan tower, alleging the firms stole his design created as an architectural student for his thesis in 1999 before the 9/11 attacks, The Real Deal reported.

Georgia-based architect Park's lawyer, Daniel Kent, told The Real Deal it was a "big step forward."

"The Court could have dismissed all of Mr. Park’s claims, but did not, and the remaining claims appear to have significant value," Kent told the real estate magazine.

Architectural firm Skidmore Owings & Merrill, among the companies being sued, told The Real Deal the firm "is still in the position of having to defend itself against these specious claims."

The firm added it was "inexplicable" why Park would file the lawsuit so long after the tower was built and design unveiled.

Click here to read the full report from The Real Deal.