Companies impacted by the catastrophic 2016 Hobart Rivulet wall collapse — which flooded Myer just months after it reopened after being destroyed by fire — have launched civil action in the Supreme Court claiming damages of more than $15 million.

The collapse in July 2016 sent about 700 million litres of water into the central Hobart construction site and basement of the Myer building, with adjacent buildings suffering significant structural damage.

Three Supreme Court cases have now been launched against Hutchinson Builders and engineers Gandy and Roberts by companies including Myer, the owner of Cat and Fiddle Arcade Silverleaf Investments, the construction group E Kalis Properties, and outlets impacted by the collapse.

According to Statements of Claim lodged with the Supreme Court, the parties are claiming damages of $15,536,725.

Of that, Myer is seeking $4,186,458, Silverleaf Investments $5,178,144, outlets including Dotti, Portmans, Jacquie E and Cue $1,964,781 and E Kalis Properties a total of $4,207,342.

The damages are being claimed for issues such as lost rent, damaged stock, business interruption and debris removal.

The 2016 flood shut the Myer department store for four weeks — and occurred just eight months after the store reopened after being destroyed by fire in 2007.

Walls and floors of shops in the neighbouring Cat and Fiddle Arcade were brought down, and construction machinery was inundated.

A government-ordered audit released in October 2016 revealed cracks had been appearing in the floors of shops in the Cat and Fiddle Arcade above the Hobart Rivulet three weeks before the collapse.

The audit found parties in the Myer redevelopment project knew that "not insignificant damage" had occurred to shops in the Cat and Fiddle complex 22 days before the collapse.

Several stores were damaged when a wall holding back Hobart Rivulet gave way. ( ABC News: Tony King )

Documents lodged with the Supreme Court on behalf of E Kalis Properties say advice from engineers Gandy and Roberts was provided negligently, and Gandy and Roberts failed to include adequate support for the Hobart Rivulet wall in its engineering advice.

The documents say the collapse was caused by Hutchinson Builders' failure to provide adequate support to the Rivulet wall during construction works.

They also argue that on June 29 — just under a month before the collapse —Gandy and Roberts was notified by the project architect that the builders had over-excavated an underpin on the Rivulet wall and there had been a partial collapse, but Gandy and Roberts did not notify E Kalis Properties.

It was further asserted that Gandy and Roberts decided to cease providing engineering advice to Hutchinson Builders on July 1, 2016, due to concerns about site safety, a failure to follow engineering advice, and a lack of confidence in Hutchinson Builders.

But Gandy and Roberts did not inform E Kalis Properties of that decision.

Documents lodged on behalf of Myer say the builders and engineers failed to give proper regard to cracking and movement that occurred in the buildings in the weeks prior to the collapse.

And documents lodged on behalf of the outlets say neither Gandy and Roberts nor Hutchinson Builders investigated the cause of cracking prior to the collapse, attempted to arrest the cracking or advised that works be suspended.

An initial directions hearing for all three cases was held in the Hobart Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Gandy and Roberts and Hutchinson Builders were contacted for comment.

E Kalis Proprietary Limited was charged by the Director of Public Prosecutions with a breach of the building act over the collapse in 2017, but the charges were ultimately dismissed last year.