A blockbuster $100 million wrongful-death suit accusing billionaire Jeffrey Soffer of commanding the helicopter that crashed and killed his friend Lance Valdez was abruptly withdrawn by Valdez’s widow on New Year’s Eve.
The suit, filed in Miami Federal District Court, claimed Soffer, husband of model Elle Macpherson, failed to tell passengers on the ill-fated 2012 Bahamas flight that he didn’t have a license to fly the chopper, and that he later coerced a pilot, David Pearce, into saying he’d been at the controls.
But the suit was yanked by attorneys for Valdez’s widow, Dasha Gogoleva (also know as Daria). Sources close to both sides told Page Six the withdrawal was not the result of a settlement.
“There was no notice [the suit was being withdrawn],” a source said.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 Before he could, the suit was voluntarily withdrawn without warning.”
But a source close to Dasha said the battle likely isn’t over and it’s possible she could refile a suit.
Soffer’s lawyer Bob Martinez said in a statement: “We were not surprised by the decision to withdraw this lawsuit, which was riddled with factual errors and unfounded accusations. The case collapsed just a few weeks after the lawsuit was filed . . . before we even had a chance to respond, confirming that it was . . . frivolous.”
Gogoleva’s lawyer didn’t return requests for comment.
No word on whether Soffer, who holds a license to fly planes, has gotten a chopper license.
A source quipped, “Why would he need one? If Pearce was in command of the helicopter at all times.”