Is David Martin of Terra Group involved in the murders and collapse of Surfside? (Update 2024)
David Martin Terra Group CEO was one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit for Surfside collapse. He and the other defendants ended up settling the lawsuit for nearly $1 billion.
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Victims and survivors of the Surfside condo collapse had filed a lawsuit against David Martin Terra Group and several others for construction defects among other allegations.
They filed the lawsuit in Miami Dade County Courts. It reached a billion-dollar settlement where none of the defendants admitted to any negligence.
Judge Michael Hanzman closed the litigation phase of the case quite swiftly.
One of the plaintiff’s lawyers shared that they had gotten $997 million in proposed settlements and the number could increase significantly over the coming weeks.
It’s worth noting that the lawsuit concerned the collapse of a 136-unit oceanfront building in Surfside. The building collapsed on June 24 last year.
Apart from David Martin Terra Group, the defendants included a law firm, engineers, the Champlain South condo association, and insurance firms.
Hence, some of the names are Terra World Investments, DeSimone Consulting Engineers, Becker and Poliakoff, and Champlain Towers South Condominium Association.
When David Martin (Terra Group) Destabilized Champlain South:
Surprisingly, Terra Group was the last major defendant in the case. Along with them, you had John Morirarty and Associates (the general contractor) on the list of defendants as well.
They all received accusations of destabilizing Champlain South when they drove metal sheets into the ground around 12 feet from Surfside’s perimeter wall.
David Martin Terra Group didn’t disclose the amount of their settlement amount.
According to the victims, the vibrations had rattled their building, throwing one resident off a treadmill and knocking clocks off others’ walls.
The pool deck, near which Terra Group had driven the metal sheets into the ground, broke away from the structural wall 5 years later.
Around 7 minutes after the deck’s collapse, half of the 12-story tower fell. It took the lives of 98 people inside.
David Martin Terra Group and other defendants vehemently denied their work was the cause of the collapse.
They said the chances of their work causing any damage to the Champlain Towers were negligible.
While Terra Group didn’t disclose its settlement amount, other defendants did.
The engineering firm, Morabito Consultants, has to pay $16 million while Becker (the law firm) has to pay $31 million to the plaintiffs.
Similarly, DeSimone Consulting Engineers has to pay $8.55 million to the plaintiff. They were the structural engineers for Eighty Seven Park, the luxury condo built near Champlain South.
Where is David Martin (Terra Group) Now?
Even after being directly involved in the death of nearly a hundred people, David Martin is still the CEO of Terra Group.
He claims to follow sustainable practices and focuses on the long-term results of his decisions.
David Martin Terra Group has an $8 billion portfolio in Florida. Certainly, that’s quite an impressive roster.
Their portfolio includes upscale condominiums, single-family homes, office space, industrial sites, and several others.
David oversees the business operations of Terra Group including design, sales, leasing, marketing, and leasing.
Suspiciously, his LinkedIn profile doesn’t share much information about his professional experience. According to his LinkedIn profile, he has no prior experience in real estate or any industry.
He began his career as the CEO of Terra Group, which seems rather odd.
Maybe he never created the profile and it was built by one of his marketing execs.
Conclusion
David Martin (Terra Group) is not as ethical as he claims to be.
His real estate development firm was behind the notorious Surfside collapse which took the lives of 98 people within minutes.
Hopefully, his firm would pay the settlement amount quickly and wouldn’t delay the process.
Cases of corporate negligence are increasing recently.
Rachel Drori of Daily Harvest was recently in the news for causing the largest foodborne illness outbreak of 2022. Similarly, Krissy Mashinsky of Celsius is facing criticism for her and her husband’s shady business practices.
Beware of such business executives.
