Elle Macpherson: Wrongful Death Lawsuit Dropped

Elle Macpherson’s husband, businessman and real estate magnate Jeffrey Soffer, has been embroiled in a legal battle over a 2012 helicopter crash in Great Guana Cay that killed his friend, attorn...
Elle Macpherson: Wrongful Death Lawsuit Dropped
Written by Amanda Crum
  • Elle Macpherson’s husband, businessman and real estate magnate Jeffrey Soffer, has been embroiled in a legal battle over a 2012 helicopter crash in Great Guana Cay that killed his friend, attorney Lance Valdez. Now, the $100 million lawsuit has been dropped.

    Valdez’s widow, Dasha, filed the lawsuit after she says Soffer recklessly flew the helicopter without a valid pilot’s license, but her attorney filed for a voluntary withdrawal of the suit on Tuesday without citing a reason.

    Elle Macpherson was also named in the lawsuit after Valdez claimed the supermodel had friends call to pressure her to take the $2 million insurance payout in exchange for not taking any legal action against anyone on board the helicopter.

    “There was no notice [the suit was being withdrawn],” a source said. “Jeff was preparing to respond to, and deny, the allegations. Before he could, the suit was voluntarily withdrawn without warning.”

    Soffer was accused of making plans to leave the island immediately after the crash without taking responsibility for it after he took over the controls to show off his land to the passengers. When the helicopter hit wind turbulance, the landing became a crash landing, taking Valdez’s life.

    “We were not surprised by the decision to withdraw this lawsuit. The case collapsed just a few weeks after the lawsuit was filed… before we even had a chance to respond,” said Soffer’s attorney Bob Martinez.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

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