Dentist Ejected From Office by Blast Sues

The crater on 41st Street isn't the only cavity caused by last week's steam pipe explosion: A self-styled dentist to the rich and famous, Bruce Haber, is suing Consolidated Edison for $25 million, claiming that the explosion and subsequent cleanup has kept him out of his Midtown office to the detriment of his business and his client's teeth. The suit was filed in State Supreme Court in Manhattan yesterday.

"He hasn't been able to go up the stairs. He can't look at any records. He can't look at any X-rays. He can't even look at phone numbers of his clients," Mr. Haber's attorney, Alan Schnurman, said. "He doesn't know when he'll be able to get back into his office, if ever."

Mr. Haber's clients include "chairmen of multinational corporations, supermodels, New York sports figures, and newscasters," according to Mr. Schnurman.

A Con Edison spokesman, Alfonso Quiroz, said that the company does not comment on pending litigation.

In a separate lawsuit filed Wednesday, two insurance companies asked a judge to block Con Edison from excavating the crater until the insurers can send in their own engineers to perform an independent assessment of the wreckage.