Emerging deal would split $83M for condo collapse losses

• Published date: 12 February 2022
• Publication title: The China Post

A tentative deal announced Friday would pay $83 million to people who suffered economic losses such as condominium units and personal property in the collapse of a Florida building that killed 98 people.

The emerging agreement, yet to be formally reduced to writing, would set aside whatever amount above the property settlement figure for those who lost loved ones in the collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida.

The proposal was unveiled at a hearing Friday before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman, who is presiding over lawsuits stemming from the June 24 collapse.

'That is promising news. We'll see how it plays out,' said Hanzman, who must approve a deal and said he would hear any objections before deciding. 'There's a strong possibility we're going to avoid any drawn-out legal battle.'

A written agreement will be ready to file in court by next Thursday, said attorneys involved in the negotiations overseen by mediator Bruce Greer.

The main lawsuit, filed on behalf of Champlain Towers South victims and family members, contends that work on the adjacent Eighty Seven Park tower damaged and destabilized a building in dire need of major structural repair.

Champlain Towers was in the midst of its 40-year structural review when it collapsed without warning, burying victims under tons of rubble and almost instantly destroying dozens of condo homes. That has triggered multiple federal and state investigations and a flurry of lawsuits by victims, families and condo owners.

A key question from the beginning was how to allocate money from the property's sale, insurance proceeds and damages from lawsuits between wrongful death cases and those with only property claims.

Gonzalo Dorta, who represents the property...