A judge approved a $106 million settlement on Thursday. This ends a years-long legal battle over the deadly 2019 collapse of a Hard Rock Hotel that was under construction in New Orleans. The 18-story hotel project partially collapsed in October 2019, killing three people and damaging nearby property.
A grand jury decided not to charge anyone for the collapse. However, lawsuits were filed against the building owners, their partners, and contractors. The city of New Orleans brought one of these lawsuits in August 2020. All the lawsuits eventually became one case with 490 plaintiffs and 21 defendants.
Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Kern Reese approved the settlement on Thursday. A special master will distribute the $106 million to the people affected. The lead lawyer said, "This will honor the claimants who have been through so much."
Sources: theguardian.com
The words in bold are from the article.
| 1. approved | a. charged |
| 2. settlement | b. accused parties |
| 3. collapse | c. give out |
| 4. damaging | d. claimants |
| 5. indicted | e. agreement |
| 6. plaintiffs | f. accepted |
| 7. defendants | g. in the end |
| 8. eventually | h. fall |
| 9. honor | i. harming |
| 10. distribute | j. respect |
1.f 2.e 3.h 4.i 5.a 6.d 7.b 8.g 9.j 10.c