Chicago Building Fire Victims Settle For $100M
A building fire lawsuit against Chicago city officials and other defendants has been settled for $100 million, one of the largest settlements the city has ever seen.
The money will be divided among 22 plaintiffs, with individual settlements ranging from $159,000 to $11.7 million depending on various factors such as severity of injuries and loss of earnings.
Plaintiffs in the case include the families of six office employees who died during the 2003 blaze and 16 who suffered injuries.
The Chicago Fire Department and the building management company were both criticized in the wake of the fire, which happened at the Cook County Administration Building on Washington St.
Victims were trapped in a smoke-filled stairwell with no route for escape. The defendants admitted no wrongdoing under the terms of the settlement, but an attorney in the case said the numbers speak for themselves.
The defendants have agreed to pay as follows: The city is responsible for $50 million of the settlement, and other defendants including the building management company and Cook County will pay the remaining $50 million.