$100M Lawsuit Over Bahamas Chopper Crash Withdrawn
MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) —A $100 million, wrongful death lawsuit against a Florida billionaire over a 2012 helicopter crash in the Bahamas that killed a prominent tax attorney was withdrawn this week.
The widow of attorney Lance Valdez filed the wrongful death suit last month in Miami federal court against real estate magnate Jeffrey Soffer, but the woman's attorney filed a voluntary withdrawal on Tuesday.
Soffer owns the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach and is married to model Elle Macpherson.
The lawsuit claimed Soffer was piloting the helicopter in November 2012 when it crashed on Great Guana Cay, killing his friend Valdez. The suit claimed Soffer and others covered up the fact that he was at the controls so Valdez's widow and their three children were limited to a $2 million insurance payment.
An attorney for Valdez's family did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
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