Miami-Dade County mayor on Surfside lawsuit: ‘We hope a settlement can bring closure’
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Staggering Surfside Settlement: $997 million
In a surprisingly swift resolution of the Champlain Towers South class-action lawsuit, relatives of the victims and survivors of the Surfside condo collapse have reached a settlement that will pay them nearly $1 billion, a state court judge was told Wednesday.
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Lawyers in suit over Surfside collapse reveal staggering legal settlement: $997 million
$1 billion settlement for victims of Surfside condo collapse ranks among highest in Florida
Miami-Dade County mayor on Surfside lawsuit: ‘We hope a settlement can bring closure’
Father of Surfside victim says $1 billion settlement won’t bring families closure
Watch lawyer present $997 million settlement for Surfside victims. Hear judge’s reaction
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Wednesday that she hoped a surprise settlement in the Surfside condo collapse lawsuit would bring “closure” in the disaster that killed 98 people.
“We hope a settlement can bring closure on the eve of the Surfside one year anniversary,” Levine Cava said in a statement released hours after news of a $997 million settlement for unit owners in the Champlain Towers South condo complex that partially collapsed on June 24.
READ MORE: Lawyers in suit over Surfside collapse reveal staggering legal settlement: $997 million
“But no amount of money could ever be enough to bring back the 98 lives lost, or compensate those who lost everything,” Levine Cava said. “May God continue to watch over all the families and help them find peace.”
Levine Cava presided over the county response to the collapse, including assistance for displaced residents and relatives of the victims during the search operation.
The settlement announced in Miami-Dade Circuit Court involved litigation against the Champlain Towers South complex, which was fully demolished after the partial collapse, as well as the Eighty Seven Park luxury condo tower next door, which plaintiff lawyers accused of destabilizing Champlain Towers during construction. The defendants denied the allegations.
READ MORE: Surfside settlement ranks among highest in Florida
Lawyers for the plaintiffs described the settlement as ending the litigation that has divided surviving residents and the families of those killed in the collapse.
“We have gotten $997 million in proposed settlements before you — and it could be a billion before the end of the week,” said Harley S. Tropin, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs. “We will be done. The money will be distributed. These victims will get some measure of relief.”
This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 9:29 PM.