Ghost Ship landlord to receive $3.1 million insurance payout
The landlord has not made any public statements since the fire
Bay Area news outlet Mercury News has obtained an insurance document which claims Chor Ng, the owner of the Ghost Ship warehouse, will be receiving a $3.1 million insurance payout following the deadly inferno that destroyed her property and claimed the lives of 36 people in Oakland last December.
Ng has managed to escape prosecution for the tragedy and has yet to offer any condolences to the families of the victims. According to Karl Susman, owner of Susman Insurance Agency, the money will likely never makes it way to the dozens of victims who have filed civil claims against her, stating “everything will likely be exhausted long before they go to trial... and then she might declare personal bankruptcy”.
The massive payout comes days after Ghost Ship director Max Harris and master tenant Derrick Almena pleaded not guilty to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter. Currently in custody at Santa Rita Jail in Northern California with a bond set at $750,000, both Almena and Harris are facing up to 39 years in prison if convicted. The defendant's lawyers are on a warpath to place the majority of blame on Ng, claiming she “created this fire trap by being a slumlord” and that Ng’s family “didn’t see the human life, they saw the dollar signs”.
Cameron is Mixmag's US Editorial Intern. Follow him on Twitter here