The first of many hearings regarding multiple lawsuits over the collapse of Champlain Towers South in Florida was held on Wednesday (July 7). The lawsuit was filed just 24 hours after the collapse by Steve Rosenthal, one of 37 people rescued by firefighters after the building collapsed. There are at least five other lawsuits currently pending, accusing the Champlain Towers South Condominium Association of negligence for failing to repair the tower.
"I have everything in there, everything. I've been there 20 years, just imagine," Rosenthal said, according to WTVJ.
Judge Michael Hanzman said he wants the process expedited and that the legal claims will be split into two groups, those who lost possessions in the collapse and those who lost family members. He also said that there are about $48 million in insurance available and asked the lawyers if there would be other funds available to pay out all the potential claims.
"We feel that there will be other policies available. We have also put other potential parties on notice," said the court-appointed receiver, Michael Goldberg.
As the death toll from the collapse continues to climb as workers clear more rubble from the site, attorney Jorge Silva, who is representing several families, said that no amount of money will be enough to compensate all the victims.
"That's why I think the judge highlighted multiple times throughout today's hearing that this will never compensate these victims whether it be the death cases, the injury cases, or the property damage cases," Silva said. "There's never going to be full compensation, not enough money in the entire world to do so. But it's our job to try and marshall as many assets as possible to try to soften the pain a little."