Although a $1 billion class-action settlement resolving the Surfside condominium tower’s collapse was approved with much fanfare in June, the legal battles may not be over. There are potentially dozens of other individual lawsuits that might still be pursued more than a year after the tragedy — with some former condo owners the potential targets.
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NIST engineer talks about Champlain Towers South investigation Glenn Bell, an engineer with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, said on June 9, 2022 that the investigation of the Champlain Towers South building collapse in Surfside is "one of the most complex and difficult of its type." |
“The court feels comfortable ... that
they are going to be close to fully compensated,” Hanzman
said, adding that all of the victims’ relatives are going to
receive a “large percentage” of their damage claims.
Still, the clarification from Hanzman could have potentially
serious implications for some former unit owners if they get
sued and don’t have liability insurance coverage.
Previously, there had been some misunderstanding that no
condo owners at Champlain Towers South could be sued after
agreeing to accept the $96 million settlement for the loss
of their units in the collapse. In fact, the vast majority
said they were motivated to accept the deal in the spring
because it barred any future lawsuits accusing them and
their condo association of failing to maintain the
building’s safety.
The condo association’s engineer noted structural flaws in
the pool deck and parking garage areas in a report from
2018, with the tower slated for long overdue repairs
totaling $15 million at the time of the collapse. However,
the engineer, Morabito Consultants, never indicated that
Champlain Towers South was at risk of falling down. It is
unclear how many tenants and visitors died in the Surfside
condo tower’s collapse, but there were likely at least 40 —
including guests who were visiting parents who owned units,
people who were living in units owned by relatives, and
renters leasing units at Champlain Towers South.
Relatives of those same tenants and guests who died — along
with other victims of the calamity — qualify to make a
damage claim to Hanzman for a minimum of $1 million or
possibly more for a deceased’s future earnings as well as
pain and suffering. The judge began the process of reviewing
their damage claims at private hearings last week. Despite
the greater clarity of the final settlement agreement in the
class-action negligence case, the relationships among
owners, tenants and visitors at Champlain Towers South can
be complicated.
Among the 98 dead, about 27 were visitors, and 11 of them
were visiting relatives who lived at the building.
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Theresa Velasquez, 36, a music industry executive from Los Angeles and former Miami Beach DJ, was visiting her parents in unit 304.
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Andrea Cattarossi, a 56-year-old architect and mother of three from Buenos Aires, was visiting her parents, sister and niece in unit 501.
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Juan Mora Jr., 32, who worked in Chicago, was visiting his parents in unit 1011.
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Jay Kleiman, 52, of Puerto Rico, was visiting his mother in unit 712 and his brother in 702.
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Dr. Gary Cohen, 58, was visiting his brother Dr. Brad Cohen, 51, in unit 1110.
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Elena Chavez, 87, was visiting her daughter Elena Blasser, 64, in 1211.
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Lisa “Malky” Weisz, 27, and husband Benny Weisz, 31, were visiting her father, Harry Rosenberg, 52, in unit 212.
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The Pettengill family was visiting from Paraguay. Luis Pettengill, 36, a cattle rancher, his wife, Sophia Lopez Moreira, 36, sister of Paraguay’s first lady, their three young children and their nanny, Leidy Vanessa Luna Villalba, 23, all died in the collapse.
At the same time, at least 13 people who
were living in seven rented units died when the condo
building fell down.
Among the renters was Linda March, 58, a real estate lawyer
from New York, in unit 1204.
Oresme “Gil” Guerra, 60, and his wife, Beatriz “Betty”
Guerra, 52, had only lived in unit 910 for three months, had
just signed a lease for another beachfront property nearby
and spent the day of the collapse painting their new place.
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Tzvi Ainsworth, 68, and his wife, Ingrid “Itty” Ainsworth, 66, were renting 1104.
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Dr. Ruslan Manashirov, 36, a neurologist, and his wife, Nicole Doran-Manashirov, 43, a physician assistant at Aventura Hospital’s emergency department, were in unit 703.
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The Patel family renting 311 perished — Vishal, 42, his pregnant wife, Bhavna, 38, and their 1-year-old daughter, Aishani Gia.
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Alfredo Leone and his 5-year-old son, Lorenzo, died in unit 512. Leone’s wife and Lorenzo’s mother, Raquel Oliveira, was out of town that night.
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Cassie Stratton, 40, died in 410; her husband, Mike, was out of town on a business trip.
Hanzman started reviewing all Champlain Towers South wrongful death claims in late July at private hearings with the victims’ families, and he expects to finish them in late August. Hanzman said he will likely approve the distribution of the damages in September.