Nearly seven years after the deadly Hard Rock Hotel collapse in New Orleans, a $106 million settlement has been reached.
A judge approved the agreement during a hearing in Orleans Parish Civil Court Thursday.
The settlement involves 21 defendants and 403 plaintiffs, according to Mark Glago, co-lead counsel for the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee.
The plaintiffs include the families of three workers who were killed, 103 injured workers and about 200 nearby businesses affected by the collapse. The city of New Orleans and the Sewerage and Water Board are also included in the group, according to Glago.
The hotel was under construction when part of the building collapsed along Canal Street in October 2019.
Workers Jose Arreola, Quinnyon Wimberly and Anthony Magrette were killed. Several other people were injured.
The collapse also damaged nearby property and forced officials to close part of Canal Street for more than a year. Crews have since cleared the site.
Glago said each of the 21 named defendants, along with their insurance companies, agreed to contribute to the settlement.
The plaintiffs now have 45 days to sign release documents. Once that process is complete, the money will be placed in a qualified settlement fund.
Special Master John Perry will determine how much each plaintiff receives.
Glago said the money will not be divided equally. Perry will evaluate the claims based on the severity of each person’s injury, death, financial loss or other harm caused by the collapse.
No firm timeline has been announced for distributing the settlement. Glago said attorneys hope the process will take months, but Perry will control the allocation schedule.
Glago said the workers and businesses represented in the case are pleased with the settlement and glad the civil case is moving toward a conclusion.
He also acknowledged that money cannot replace the three workers who died.
“For a civil case, that’s all that we can do, is try to get them the most money possible,” Glago said.
Glago served as co-lead counsel with attorney Walter Leger. He said the legal team hopes the settlement provides some closure for the families, workers and businesses affected by the collapse.
The $106 million total will not be appealed, Glago said. The settlement will become final once the plaintiffs sign the required releases.
READ MORE:$106 million settlement reached nearly seven years after Hard Rock Hotel collapse
