The lawyers who handled a class action suit stemming from the deadly Surfside condo collapse in 2021 want $100 million in fees for 34,000 hours of work, according to a new filing.
A total of 132 lawyers netted a settlement of just over $1 billion for families of the 98 people who perished in the disaster.
The Champlain Towers South condo building suddenly crumbled in June of 2021 in one of the worst residential disasters in recent U.S. history.
Officials have yet to make a final determination as to a specific cause for the collapse.
Miami lawyer Philip Freidin said the civil case was “among the most difficult, complex, and high-profile class actions I have witnessed in 53 years of practicing law.”
Freidlin said his suggested price tag is reasonable given the enormity of the case and the final payout.
Lawyers routinely receive roughly a third of the final settlement.
Stewards of the settlement hope to begin dispersing money to victims beginning in September.
The final amount will be determined by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman.
The parcel has since been sold to a developer from Dubai who plans to erect a new luxury condo building.
