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Building owner settles with lawyers estate
Kailey Tracy reports
LARGO, Fla. - It has been nearly a year since a Largo attorney disappeared from his office. While his accused killer sits behind bars, the attorney for Steven Cozzi’s family said they’ve taken the first steps to closure.
They just reached a settlement with the owner of the property where prosecutors said Cozzi was killed, MH Belcher Property.
"We engaged in some discovery depositions, took the deposition of the property owner," Stephen Barnes, the attorney for Cozzi's family, said. "We did some investigations around the property itself, and after that was completed, the attorney for the defendant, appointed by the insurance company, called yesterday and advised that they were going to tender the full limits insuring MH Belcher."
The full limits of that insurance policy, $1 million, went to Cozzi’s husband.
Pictured: Steven Cozzi.
"There’s no joy in this. There’s no celebration of this at all. It’s slow, methodical steps to closure, which is what we’re trying to achieve," Barnes said.
"Steve's mom, Ms. Cozzi, his husband, Michael, didn't want to impose any hardship on the property owner. The owner is a very, very nice man. He lives in Durango, Colorado now. He was obviously, obviously, during his deposition, very emotional. This weighed heavy on him," Barnes said.
Barnes said Cozzi’s family is glad they were able to amicably resolve things.
The suit said the property owner didn’t secure entrances to the building, or to a utility closet, even after an employee of a neighboring business told police and the property owner a man was hiding in the closet just a week before Cozzi disappeared.
"I have a lot of confidence that had that lock been on that closet, that opportunity would have been eliminated," Barnes said.
Prosecutors said that man matched Tomasz Kosowski’s description. Barnes said Kosowski was hiding several of the things he used to commit the crime, and he said it’s where Kosowski hid the day he’s accused of killing Cozzi.
Detectives said they found Cozzi’s blood in the bathroom and in Kosowski’s vehicles. Prosecutors said Kosowski was suing his former coworkers and was angry with Cozzi, who was representing some of them.
"Negligent security cases are one of the hardest cases to prosecute, because you have a third party, in this case, the doctor, coming on to somebody else's property and committing a heinous act," Barnes said. "It's very difficult to get a fact finder, whether it's a judge or a jury, to understand why a property owner is responsible for that."
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Previous coverage: Steven Cozzi estate sues owner of building where he died
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Barnes said this lawsuit was a test for the office, coming after a state law went into effect just days after Cozzi’s disappearance that makes it harder to sue property owners.
"These are cases that we still need to take. You know, they're hard. They're difficult. It hasn't been made easy, but maintaining a safe property when you're inviting people on that property to conduct business at all hours of the day is absolutely mandatory under Florida law. And it takes cases like this to make sure that we hold property owners accountable when that doesn't happen," Barnes said. "So, I'm hoping that this, in part, sends a message to the legal community that we need to keep up this work to make sure we keep the properties in Florida safe."
The property owner said he had no comment when asked about the settlement. Barnes said they’re also suing Kosowski, but haven’t decided on a dollar amount yet.
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"Due to the nature of this crime, the heinous facts of this case, the fact that we still don't know where his body is and probably never will… There are a lot of things I can do to bring closure for a family and help them move past this, but this is something that's going to remain with Michael and Steve's mom for the rest of their lives, and I can tell you it is going to be substantial," Barnes said about what they’ll be suing Kosowski for.
Pictured: Tomasz Kosowski.
Barnes is hoping for a trial date before the end of the year. Kosowski’s attorney, Bjorn Brunvand, said he didn’t have a comment regarding that lawsuit.
In Kosowski’s criminal case, Wednesday, a judge moved that trial to May 19, 2025. Brunvand filed a motion to continue the trial, writing in court documents "counsel has diligently conducted depositions and investigated potential evidence, but doesn’t think the case can be ready by the January 27, 2025 trial date."
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Brunvand also said lead counsel has a month-long jury trial in Federal Court in New Jersey scheduled for January 2025.
Kosowski is charged with first-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty.
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