Skywalks: Robert Gordon's Untold Story of Hallmark's Kansas City Disaster

In 1981, the Hyatt Regency hotel in Kansas City collapsed, killing 114 people. Robert Gordon, an attorney involved in the litigation, uncovered damaging facts and sought to present them before a jury. However, when the case was settled out of court, he turned to a book project to expose the truth, resulting in a controversial but unpublishable manuscript. Gordon's conclusions laid the blame for the disaster largely at the feet of the hotel's owner and Kansas City's most powerful corporation, Hallmark Cards Inc. He died in 2008 without seeing his book published or the full truth told. Skywalks is a long-overdue corrective that builds on Gordon's untapped historical materials and unpublished writings.

Format: Hardback
Length: 376 pages
Publication date: 03 April 2023
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press

In 1981, a tragic incident occurred in Kansas City's Hyatt Regency hotel, where the suspended walkways, also known as "skywalks," collapsed, resulting in the deaths of 114 people. This building collapse was the deadliest in the United States until the fall of the Twin Towers in New York on September 11, 2001. Skywalks, written by R. Eli Paul, delves into the actions of attorney Robert Gordon, who played a crucial role in the subsequent legal proceedings. Gordon represented the plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against the individuals responsible for designing, building, inspecting, owning, and managing the hotel. He was determined to uncover damaging facts and hold those accountable for the disaster.

Despite his unwavering pursuit of justice, Gordon's case took an unexpected turn when it was settled out from under him. Instead of giving up, he turned his attention to a quixotic book project that consumed the rest of his life. For a decade, Gordon navigated a complex landscape of high-powered literary agents, talented ghost writers, and New York trade publishers. However, his resistance to collaboration and compromise led to a controversial but unpublishable manuscript, "House of Cards." The manuscript, completed long after the public's interest in the incident had waned, laid the blame for the disaster largely at the feet of the hotel's owner, Hallmark Cards Inc., and Kansas City's most prominent corporation.

Gordon's conclusions, although explosive, never received the proper attention they deserved. He gave up his lucrative law practice and lived the remainder of his life as a virtual recluse in his mansion in Mission Hills, Kansas. David had fought Goliath, and to his despair, Goliath had won. Gordon died in 2008 without ever seeing his book published or the full truth of the incident revealed. Skywalks is a long-overdue corrective that builds on a foundation of untapped historical material. It sheds light on the events surrounding the Hyatt Regency collapse and provides a compelling account of Gordon's unwavering pursuit of justice. The book offers a valuable perspective on the legal system and the challenges faced by individuals who seek to hold powerful corporations accountable for their actions.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496233134