Surfside condo collapse

Condo Collapse Owners Have Second Thoughts About Property Loss Settlement

Those who agreed to $83 million recovery for property are reconsidering, now that settlement pool for all losses, including wrongful death, could top $1.1 billion

An aerial view of the site during a rescue operation of the Champlain Tower partially collapsed in Surfside, Florida, on July 1, 2021.
Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images

Owners of about 50 of the 136 units that were destroyed in the Champlain Towers South collapse are asking that a judge consider increasing their settlement amount, now that the overall recovery amount could top $1.1 billion.

Judge Michael Hanzman has agreed to hold a hearing on the matter next Tuesday, after the auction for the oceanfront lot concludes.

In a letter to the court-appointed receiver for their condo association, the owners wrote that the amount of the settlements announced last week was a "tremendous surprise," but also gave them "mixed feelings as we approach the end of this painful process."

"We are thrilled that the recent settlement for the wrongful death class exceeded everyone's expectations," they wrote, "but precisely because of that, we believe that given the size of the settlement, it merits a reconsideration" of the $83 million property settlement they previously agreed to.

"We too have been significantly hurt by this tragedy and need to rebuild our lives," they wrote.

The receiver, Michael I. Goldberg, received the letter on Sunday and forwarded it to the judge on Monday, with a request for a hearing, which the judge granted.

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