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A judge approved a $106 million settlement Thursday that ends a yearslong legal battle over the deadly 2019 collapse of a Hard Rock Hotel that was under construction in New Orleans.<\/p>\n
The 18-story hotel project partially collapsed in October 2019<\/a>, killing three people and damaging nearby property. A grand jury ultimately decided against<\/a> indicting anyone in the deadly collapse, but lawsuits were filed, including one brought by the City of New Orleans in August 2020 naming the building owners, their partners and contractors.<\/p>\n The various lawsuits were consolidated into one case that includes a total of 490 plaintiffs, such as injured workers and businesses affected by the collapse, against 21 defendants, according to Mark Glago, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs. The case has been pending for more than six years, Glago noted.<\/p>\n The combined $106 million settlement was approved by Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Kern Reese on Thursday, according to Glago and Court records.<\/p>\n \u201cThis will be an honor to, you know, these claimants that have been through so much,” Glago said of the settlement. \u201cWe are very, very happy with this $106 million.\u201d<\/p>\n The settlement funds will eventually be distributed by a special master.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n