$100M Helicopter Crash Suit Against Florida Hotel Owner Dismissed

A $100 million lawsuit against a Florida billionaire over a fatal 2012 helicopter crash in the Bahamas has been dismissed.

The wrongful death lawsuit filed against real estate mogul Jeffrey Soffer by the widow of attorney Lance Valdez was dismissed last week by a Miami-Dade County judge. A previous federal lawsuit was withdrawn.

Soffer owns the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach and is married to model Elle Macpherson.

The lawsuit claimed Soffer covered up that he was piloting the helicopter in November 2012 when it crashed on Great Guana Cay, killing his friend Valdez. The suit claimed Soffer and others sought to limit Valdez’s widow and their three children to a $2 million insurance payment.

Soffer’s attorney denied any wrongdoing and called the case a publicity stunt.