Settlement spans 490 plaintiffs, 21 defendants after six-year fight
Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Kern Reese approved the combined $106 million settlement Thursday, according to Mark Glago, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs, and court records. The approval ends a legal battle spanning more than six years over the deadly 2019 collapse of a Hard Rock Hotel that was under construction in New Orleans.
The settlement funds will eventually be distributed by a special master.
The 18-story hotel project partially collapsed in October 2019, killing three people and damaging nearby property.
A grand jury ultimately decided against indicting anyone in the deadly collapse. Lawsuits followed, including one brought by the City of New Orleans in August 2020 naming the building owners, their partners and contractors.
The various lawsuits were consolidated into one case that includes a total of 490 plaintiffs, including injured workers and businesses affected by the collapse, against 21 defendants, Glago said. The case has been pending for more than six years, Glago noted.
“This will be an honor to, you know, these claimants that have been through so much,” Glago said of the settlement. “We are very, very happy with this $106 million.”
With Thursday’s approval, the yearslong legal battle over the deadly collapse has come to an end.