Owners of units in the Champlain Towers
South condo complex near Miami have filed a class-action
lawsuit after their building partially collapsed on
Thursday. As of Friday morning, 159 people remain
unaccounted for as rescue crews work at the scene.
The owners say the
condo association failed to "secure and safeguard the lives
and property" of plaintiff Manuel Drezner and other owners,
according to the complaint filed by the Brad Sohn Law Firm.
The class-action suit "seeks to
compensate the victims of this unfathomable loss," the court
document says, showing an aerial photo of the partially
collapsed building. The suit seeks damages that exceed $5
million, with a specific amount to be determined during a
trial.
The 40-year-old condo had been in the process of undergoing
a recertification process, having hired an engineer to
analyze the building.
The lawsuit quotes public statements made by Kenneth
Direktor, who represents the condo association, saying that
"repair needs had been identified" in the building's
structure before its horrific collapse.
The association did not reply to NPR's repeated requests for
comment on the lawsuit.
The suit alleges that the catastrophe could have been
prevented "through the exercise of ordinary care, safety
measures, and oversight." It also accuses the condo
association of failing to disclose information about safety
measures and oversight as well as failing to monitor the
building's stability. |
|
A man prays Friday near where search and rescue
operations are ongoing at the partially collapsed 12-story Champlain
Towers South condo building in Surfside
|
"This is devastating, and I have
already learned some additional information that is
stunning," Brad Sohn told NPR on Friday. He did not provide
details about that new information.
In addition to the building's owners,
Sohn said he anticipates representing renters as well. And
he said there will likely be injury-related lawsuits as
well.