Silverstein Properties cannot be held responsible for the collapse of a third World Trade Center tower that tumbled a few hours after the twin towers were struck in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a federal appeals court has ruled.

A group of plaintiffs led by Con Edison and several insurance companies brought a suit against Larry Silverstein’s company, blaming alleged structural deficiencies for the fall of 7 World Trade Center. As the north tower plunged, debris fell into neighboring No. 7 and touched off a fire that firefighters were unable to contain, the court said.

It would be “simply incompatible with common sense and experience to hold that defendants were required to design and construct a building that would survive the events of Sept. 11, 2001,” the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Manhattan said.

The decision reaffirmed Manhattan federal Judge Joseph Hellerstein previous ruling along similar lines. [NYDN] — Julie Strickland