Negotiations Commence Over New Orleans Hard Rock Hotel Collapse

Nearly four years after the catastrophic collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel in Downtown New Orleans in October 2019, settlement negotiations begin for the families of the victims. The collapse claimed the lives of three workers while also leaving several others injured.

Last year, a significant development took place in the form of a judge appointing a mediator to facilitate negotiations between the numerous claimants seeking damages from the collapse. Civil District Judge Kern Reese selected John Perry Jr. as a special master to spearhead the settlement discussions.

The negotiations are currently underway behind closed doors, involving a committee comprising thirteen plaintiffs’ attorneys as well as representatives from the hotel’s developers and contractors. This week’s meetings represent the first direct engagement between the two sides since the ill-fated 18-story structure crumbled in 2019.

Approximately 135 lawsuits have emerged in the years following the collapse, brought forward by or on behalf of around 400 family members of victims, injured construction workers, bystanders, and nearby business owners. The disaster not only resulted in a tragic loss of life but also inflicted property damage and forced the prolonged closure of a vital intersection in downtown New Orleans.

Among those implicated in the lawsuits are the project’s developers, 1031 Canal Development, LLC, and Kailas Companies, LLC, both managed by Mohan Kailas and his son, Praveen Kailas. The suits also target the general contractor, Citadel Builders, along with Harry Baker Smith Architects and Heaslip Engineering.

The mediation process was mandated in April by Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Kern Reese, who presides over the case. If a settlement is successfully reached and gains approval from the judge, claimants may choose to opt out and continue pursuing their legal recourse individually.