Legal experts say Wang Fuk Court residents can pursue insurance claims after selling flats to the government but must prove negligence caused losses. The comments follow the release of documents on a government buy-back plan.
Whether residents can win compensation will depend on findings from the independent committee investigating the fire, experts said. Claimants must show that negligence was involved.
Some residents had raised concerns that documents on the buy-back plan were ambiguous about rights to pursue claims after selling their flats. A Housing Bureau spokesman said the government would not require owners to waive civil claims.
“Property owners who accept the government’s buyout scheme are not required to waive their right to future civil claims,” the spokesman said. “Owners can decide whether to pursue civil lawsuits later based on the facts and actual circumstances.”
The fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po broke out on November 26 last year during a HK$336 million renovation project. It raged for about 43 hours, killing 168 people and displacing about 5,000 others.
