NEW ORLEANS — Days after New Orleans marked five years since the top floors of the Hard Rock Hotel fell down mid-construction, settlement negotiations between those involved in the project and the hundreds who say they were harmed in its collapse appear to have hit a standstill.
More than 130 plaintiffs have sued the developers, contractors, subcontractors, and insurance companies.
Last August, a judge combined the lawsuits into one and the sides began negotiating a settlement.
“We have been negotiating for a while,” said Walter Leger, Jr., who chairs the plaintiffs’ committee, “We were examining the property, we climbed up to the top of the building, we had experts looking at things.”
He said his team gave the defendants’ lawyers until Wednesday, Oct. 15, to accept one final offer. They did not.
“We told them if they did not by that date, we were moving forward without further negotiation for trial,” said Leger.
The families of the three men killed in the collapse have already settled their claims. The remaining plaintiffs include other workers, pedestrians, and nearby businesses.
A trial could still be avoided if the sides reach a settlement before the case moves to court. But after more than a year at the table, Leger said he is “Not expecting there'll be a settlement at this point.”
He said his team is asking the court to set a date for the trial within the next year.
WWL Louisiana reached out to an attorney for developer 1031 Canal.
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