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Judge orders $150 million in initial compensation for Surfside victims

21 July 2021
 Dan Ackermann

A judge said Wednesday that victims and families who suffered losses in the collapse of the oceanfront condo in Surfside, Florida, are entitled to a minimum of $150 million in initial compensation, AP reports.

Catch up quick: The June 24 collapse killed at least 97 people and led to several lawsuits, per an NBC affiliate. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is leading a federal investigation into the structural failure.

Details: The $150 million covers insurance on the building and the expected proceeds from the sale of the now-collapsed property, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman said at a Wednesday hearing. He added that victims include visitors and renters, not just condo owners.

  • "The court’s concern has always been the victims here," Hanzman said. "Their rights will be protected."
  • The sum does not include proceeds from the lawsuits filed since the collapse, which are being consolidated into one class action suit, per Hanzman.
  • "I have no doubt, no stone will be left unturned," Hanzman said.

The big picture: It remains unclear what led to the deadly collapse. Condo owners have differing opinions on what to do with the site, according to AP.

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.