Deadline extended for families of El Faro victims

Motion filed to fight TOTE Maritime liability

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Families seeking to file claims for compensation in the sinking of El Faro, now have more time to do so.

A judge has extended the deadline from this Monday to next February. The deadline to file claims is now Feb. 19.

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The freighter sank in October in the waters off the Bahamas during Hurricane Joaquin, 33 crew members died.

A motion has also been submitted to fight TOTE Maritime's move to limit the company's liability to $15M. According to the motion, TOTE has insurance on the ship exceeding $15M, and therefore should not be able to cap that amount.

The motion claims TOTE could actually make a profit from El Faro's sinking if the company is allowed to cap the damages.