French Crans-Montana Victim Seeks €8.2 Million Compensation

“We want €2 million as a down payment for urgent costs and the remaining for the rest of my client's life,” said the victim's lawyer Sébastien Fanti in an interview with the Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper on Thursday. He had already publicised his action before a Paris court on Monday, but did not initially quantify the amount of the claim.

The lawyer said in the interview that it was a preliminary calculation prepared by an expert. Among other things, the claim is for compensation for the injury to the French woman's physical integrity and for her loss of earnings. His client will have to be cared for for the rest of her life.

+ French victim of Crans-Montana fire files compensation claim

Fanti believes it is highly likely that France will pay the 26-year-old the money.“France will hold the municipality and the canton of Valais liable, I'm sure of it,” he also told the newspaper. According to the lawyer, he is representing a total of 26 victims and their relatives.

The application was submitted to the Compensation Commission for Victims of Crime (Civi) in Paris, as Fanti announced on Monday. It is in connection with a criminal complaint filed with the Valais public prosecutor's office on April 1. The Valais public prosecutor's office confirmed receipt of the criminal complaint to the Keystone-SDA news agency on Tuesday. This includes the criminal offences of negligent arson, negligent grievous bodily harm and breaches of building regulations.

A total of 41 people died in the fire disaster that took place on New Year's Day and 115 were injured.

Translated from French by AI/jdp