Regarding that building collapse, there have been reports that the developers gave campaign donations to local politicians as the building was being constructed. If that is so, those politicians would have a vested interest in not exposing any design or construction flaws.
And this is something I have some knowledge of. One branch of my family is involved in construction. The pressure for political “donations” is unbelievable. And if you don’t donate, all sorts of inspectors will show up at your job site. And you can bet they will find many things “out of code”.
But it you do donate, the inspectors will often just stop by for a moment, then sign you off. It’s an ugly mess. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
The construction company that built the condo went out of business some 20 years ago and original developer is long dead as would any or most of the gov’t officials or inspectors long retired or dead as well.
I’m not buying your argument that without anyone noticing, crews came in to do a controlled demolition. A controlled demolition would for one thing not have gone unnoticed and would cost as much or if not more than any lawsuit over overlooked code violations stemming from 1980.