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A resident of the Miami condominium complex that collapsed last week killing at least 10 people — with many more currently missing — has filed a class action lawsuit to compensate victims for their “unfathomable loss.”
Plaintiff Manuel Drezner filed the class action complaint in Miami-Dade County Thursday evening, just 22 hours after the deadly collapse, which happened about 1:30 a.m. that morning, NBC News reported.
Drezner is a resident of Champlain Towers South, the 12-story condo building in Surfside that fell in the early morning hours on Thursday, with 55 of the building’s 136 units reduced to rubble in seconds. As of Monday morning, nine people were reported dead, and 151 were still missing, CNN reported.
Drezner alleges that Champlain Towers South Condominium Association, Inc. failed to adequately secure the building, placing the lives and property of the building’s occupants and visitors at risk, and ultimately resulting in the collapse of the building.
“At all relevant times, defendant was aware, or reasonably should have been aware that the plaintiff’s and the class’s lives and property were at risk due to the lack of precautions taken at Champlain Towers South,” the lawsuit reportedly says.
The aim of the lawsuit, according to the complaint, is to “compensate the victims of this unfathomable loss.”
The cause of the collapse has not yet been determined by officials. However, questions about the integrity of the structure were raised in a 2018 engineering report.
In an agreement attached to the class action, the Champlain Towers South Condominium Association Inc. has reportedly promised condo owners that it shall “maintain, repair and replace” all portions of the units that contribute to the support of the building, including load-bearing columns. The class action alleges the contract has been breached.
The lawsuit says its parties reserve the right to amend the filing as more information becomes known, and potentially as more fatalities become known.
Becker Lawyers attorney Donna Berger, working for Champlain Towers South Condominium Association Inc., told NBC News it was “disappointing” for a class action lawsuit to be the focus right now when almost 100 neighbors are still unaccounted for.
She said the community that lived in the condo was simply “struck with a freak tragedy,” and that finding who might be responsible was important, but search and rescue efforts were the priority.
She told NBC News the building had recently hired an engineer to undergo a 40-year recertification process, as Champlain Towers South was built in 1981. The certification includes checking the building is structurally safe. Homeowners can sue if there are defects in the construction of their homes. In Washington state, homeowners sued construction company LGI Homes, saying shoddy construction resulted in snow and rain falling inside homes as siding flew around the neighborhood.
Have you or a loved one experienced structural concerns regarding your home’s infrastructure? Tell us your story in the comments or click here to get help from a local Florida property damage lawyer.
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I’m Antonio Lozano. I lost both of my grandparents in this nightmare scenario. Please email me if you need any information.