WINDERMERE APARTMENT FIRE VICTIMS RECEIVE FULL COMPENSATION AFTER CLASS ACTION TRIAL AND SETTLEMENT
Philadelphia, January 10, 2015. More than 100 victims of a 2011 catastrophic West Philadelphia apartment fire have all received full compensation for their property damage and other losses, according to their Class Action lawyer, Thomas More Marrone of MOREMARRONE LLC in Philadelphia.
The Class Action lawsuit in Philadelphia accused the building owners of failing to prevent the tragedy. The large four-story Windermere Court apartment complex was razed to the ground after a major fire that spread across the entire 90-unit complex exactly 5 years ago today, January 10, 2011. It took approximately 140 firefighters more than 11 hours to extinguish the blaze. The residents were left homeless and without any possessions except the clothes on their backs.
The owners of the Windermere Court Apartments agreed to a $4.75 million settlement after several days into the Class Action trial held before Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas Judge Mary Colins. The Court approved the Settlement in January of 2015. Tom Marrone was sole Class Counsel and trial counsel for the Class, and the defendants were represented by several law firms.
Throughout 2015, Marrone and a Class Administration team from Angeion Group, working with Court-Approved expert Insurance Adjuster William Underkoffler, determined each Class Member’s damages, and issued settlement checks. By year-end, every eligible Class Member received a settlement check for more than 100% of his or her property loss claims after payment of legal fees – a rare if not unprecedented result.
“These wonderful people put their faith in me and I could not let them down. I am so happy that this win has made them whole. More importantly., after waiting almost four years and after having lost almost everything they had — including their peace of mind — they’re finally getting back that peace of mind,” said Marrone.
Though it took nearly four years for the case to be brought in front of a jury, the proposed settlement was reached just four days into a civil trial. The plaintiffs were overjoyed, with some crying in the Court hallway after hearing the news, Marrone said.
The Windermere settlement was listed as one of the Top PA Settlements of 2014 by the Legal Intelligencer’s Top PA Verdicts of 2014, published by ALM Media, LLC. Other coverage of this story can be found on the Philly.com and Law360.com.
The case is Schall et al v. Windermere Court Apartments et al, case number 110201248 in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.
About Thomas More Marrone and MOREMARRONE LLC: After an 11 month stretch that included two class action jury trials resulting in a settlement and a verdict combining for well over $15 million, several substantial personal injury recoveries, successful business and employment negotiations, and hundreds of satisfied clients, Tom Marrone has created his multifaceted firm, MoreMarrone LLC.
His mission: to right wrongs. His method: creative thinking, hard work, passion and compassion, and a refusal to quit.
Licensed to practice in the State and Federal courts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, Tom has extensive experience and great success handling difficult, complex cases, especially class actions and collective actions, cases involving personal injury, employment, wage & hour claims, insurance matters, product liability, consumer protection, consumer fraud, deceptive practices, legal malpractice, and wrongful use of civil proceedings.
Tom also advises individuals and businesses on a variety of matters, including crisis prevention and crisis management. A seasoned Class Action trial lawyer, Marrone also offers consultations with other lawyers on Class Action and Complex Litigation theory development, implementation, and trial strategy and tactics.
You can reach Tom Marrone via email or 215.966.4142.
MOREMARRONE LLC 1601 market st #2500 philadelphia pa 19103 moremarrone.com