Judge pushes for payout compromise in Florida condo collapse

By CURT ANDERSON
AP Legal Affairs Writer

A judge is pushing for compromise on potential payouts to people who lost loved ones and those whose units were destroyed in the deadly collapse of a Florida beachfront condominium. An initial attempt to mediate a solution over the past two weeks encountered hardened positions between the two sides in the aftermath of the June 24 collapse of the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside, Florida, that killed 98 people. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman urged at a hearing Wednesday that talks continue toward a compromise and that any objections to a proposed settlement will be heard.