MIAMI — A judge has given final approval to a settlement of more than $1 billion for victims of the collapse of a Florida beachfront condominium.
Ninety-eight people died when the 12-story Champlain Towers South suddenly collapsed.
It was one of the deadliest building failures in U.S. history.
The decision by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman on Thursday comes one day before the one-year anniversary of the disaster in the Miami suburb of Surfside.
Most of the money will go to people who lost family members.
About $100 million is earmarked for legal fees, and $96 million set aside for owners of the building's 136 units.
A definitive cause of the collapse has not been determined. However, surviving residents said the building had shown signs of destruction and disrepair.
