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A28 U.S. NEWS
Diamars 30 augustus 2022

Indianapolis police quiet on fatal shooting

of Dutch soldier

the Dutch Defense Min-
istry said they were con-
scious. City police said they
were working with U.S. and
Dutch agencies to coordinate
family members coming to
Indianapolis and returning
the victims to the Nether-
lands.

Police, however, released no
additional information Mon- Lawyers awarded $70M+
day about the circumstances
of the shooting nor made any fees in deadly Florida condo
police officials available for
interviews. No arrests have collapse
been announced.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ner's office in Indianapolis
— Two Dutch soldiers identified the victim as Sim- The agency said in a state- Lawyers who secured a $1.1 billion settlement in
the deadly collapse last year of a beachfront Flor-
wounded in a downtown mie Poetsema but didn't im- ment that detectives were
Indianapolis shooting mediately release any addi- working to identify those ida condominium building were awarded more
than $70 million in fees Monday by a judge.
that killed another mem- tional information. involved in the shooting and
ber of their commando that "the release of certain in-
unit could soon return to Poetsema and the two other vestigative information could The total was less than the approximately $100 million
the Netherlands, city po- soldiers were shot after what negatively impact the ability attorneys with the 17 law firms had requested, but there
lice said Monday while Indianapolis police believe to obtain justice in this case." were no guarantees initially they would ever be paid in
providing no new infor- was a disturbance outside the the days after the Champlain Towers South building fell
mation on the search for hotel where they were stay- The Indiana National Guard June 24, 2021, killing 98 people.
the other people involved. ing about 3:30 a.m. Saturday said the soldiers had been
near several downtown bars training at the Muscatatuck Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman said sur-
The 26-year-old member and nightclubs, authorities Urban Training Center, a viving family members and people who only lost units
of the Dutch Commando said. The soldiers were in the 1,000-acre (405-hectare) and property got far more in compensation than is typi-
Corps died of his injuries U.S. for training exercises at complex about 70 miles (110 cal in such large class-action cases — and this lawsuit was
"surrounded by family and a southern Indiana military kilometers) southeast of settled in only a year’s time.
colleagues" after the shooting base. the downtown Indianapolis Still, the judge said the full $100 million in legal fees re-
early Saturday, the country's shooting scene. The Guard quested was too much. He noted not only that lawyers
Defense Ministry said in a Indianapolis police on Mon- said in a statement that the were not promised a dime initially when they took the
statement. day described the injuries to center is used for training by Champlain Towers case but also that their swift settle-
the two surviving soldiers as the Department of Defense ment meant a reduction in the hours involved.
The Marion County coro- "non-life-threatening" and "as well as other allies."
Some survivors also questioned the higher amount as
too generous given the scope of the tragedy, even as they
acknowledged the extraordinary outcome.
Review of possibly privileged Trump The settlement money comes from 37 sources, includ-

papers already over ing insurance companies, engineering firms and a luxury
condominium building whose recent construction next
door is suspected of contributing to structural damage of
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Champlain Towers South. None of the parties admit any
Department has completed its review of wrongdoing.
potentially privileged documents seized A billionaire developer from Dubai purchased the 1.8-
from former President Donald Trump's acre (1-hectare) beachside site for $120 million, contrib-
Florida estate this month and has identi- uting to the settlement. It’s not clear yet what structure
fied "a limited set of materials that po- will rise on the site.
tentially contain attorney-client privi- Hearings before Hanzman and a second judge on the
leged information," according to a court wrongful-death claims have taken place over the past
filing Monday. five weeks. Michael Goldberg, the court-appointed re-
ceiver overseeing the case, said checks should be distrib-
The filing from the department follows a uted to those families who lost loved ones beginning in
judge's weekend order indicating that she was mid-September. Those who lost only property will re-
inclined to grant the Trump legal team's re- ceive the full assessed value for their units, with taxes and
quest for a special master who would oversee other costs forgiven.
the review of documents taken during the
Aug. 8 search of the Mar-a-Lago estate and U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon said on One of the plaintiffs’ lead lawyers, Harley Tropin, said
ensure that any that might be protected by Saturday that it was her "preliminary intent" the $100 million was the absolute ceiling for attorney
claims of legal privilege be set aside. to appoint a special master — which would be fees and that the group was satisfied with whatever was
an early procedural win for the Trump legal awarded.
In revealing that the department had com- team — but gave the department an oppor- Champlain Towers South had a history of maintenance
pleted its review of potentially privileged tunity to respond and scheduled a Thursday problems, and questions have been raised about the
communications, law enforcement officials hearing to discuss the matter further. quality of its original construction and inspections in the
appeared to be suggesting that the appoint- early 1980s. Other possible factors in the collapse are sea
ment of a third-party special master might The judge also directed the Justice Depart- level rise caused by climate change, which could cause
now be moot. The department had been re- ment to submit under seal a more detailed damage from saltwater intrusion.
lying on a specialized team to filter out po- description of the materials that were seized A final conclusion on the cause is likely years away. The
tentially privileged communications and said from Trump's estate in Palm Beach, some- National Institute of Standards and Technology is over-
Monday that it had completed its review of thing the department on Monday said it seeing the investigation.
those materials before the judge's order. would do.