MIAMI — In a packed courtroom last summer, as rescue teams were still digging up human remains after the collapse of a Surfside condo tower, a Miami-Dade judge declared the tragedy was “not going to be treated as business as usual” and gave an ultimatum to a throng of seasoned lawyers representing the grieving families.
Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman laid down his demands for the attorneys, who might normally collect a third of the damages as a fee in such a massive catastrophic case: He would cover their expenses, but they must agree to work for free at their own risk with “absolutely no assurance of payment whatsoever and no legal right to payment.” Depending on the outcome of their class-action case down the road, the judge suggested he might approve some legal fees based on their hourly work.
In less than a year, the legal teams eventually delivered two separate settlements in the complex and emotionally difficult Champlain Towers South class-action case — one to condo owners for $96 million in property losses and a surprisingly large second one to victims’ families for $1 billion in wrongful-death and injury claims. Now, the legal bill is due to be filed by Sunday — and it’s expected to be up to $100 million, sources tell the Miami Herald.
