Families settle lawsuits over deadly 2016 Boone County apartment fire

The families of the two people killed in a Boone County fire are settling lawsuits with the former owners of the building.

The children of Lauren Ballew filed a proposed settlement on Thursday with Herman Hardt, Elizabeth Hardt and James Roark-Gruender, related to Ballew’s death. The Hardts owned the building on East Kathryn Drive in which Ballew and Willie Wright Sr. died in a fire in 2016.

Ballew accused the trio of negligence and breach of legal duties in the proposed settlement agreement posted Thursday. The settlement would distribute money to Ballew’s mother, Sharon Robinson, and her four children. The amount was sealed in court records on Friday.

Boone County authorities said the fire started in the early-morning hours on Sept. 15, 2016. Firefighters blamed a candle on the first floor for starting the fire, which spread to the second floor of the building, where Wright and Ballew were.

Michael Holder, the attorney for Ballew’s family, did not return a request for comment on Friday.

Wright’s family settled with the same three people in March in Audrain County for wrongful death. The amount of the settlement was not disclosed in the judge’s order.

The Hardts and Roark-Gruenger denied any wrongdoing as part of the settlements.

James Howard, the attorney for the three defendants, did not respond to a request for comment made late Friday afternoon.