Elle MacPherson's husband Jeff Soffer was at controls during deadly helicopter crash, lawsuit claims Elle MacPherson and husband Jeff Soffer. Soffer has been accused of being at the controls of a helicopter that crashed and killed his friend. ELLE MacPherson's billionaire husband Jeff Soffer has been hit with a bombshell suit claiming he was at the controls of the helicopter that crashed last year in the Bahamas, killing his best friend, Lance Valdez. The lawsuit, filed in Miami's Federal District Court, alleges Mr Soffer, who does not have a helicopter pilot license, was flying the chopper when it crashed on Great Guana Cay on November 22, 2012, the New York Post reports. Tax lawyer and father-of-three Mr Valdez, 48, died immediately. Mr Valdez's widow, Dasha, further claims in the suit that Soffer - who owns Miami's Fontainebleau hotel - "conspired" to persuade her to accept $US2 million ($2.2 million) in insurance money without telling her he had been at the controls, and to sign a release so he would escape greater damages. Even though a pilot, David Pearce, was on board, the suit reads, "At the time of the crash, the helicopter was being piloted by Jeffrey Soffer. Soffer was not licensed to fly. [Nor was he a] sufficiently experienced helicopter pilot. Mr Soffer's lawyer Bob Martinez said in a statement, "Jeff Soffer is very sympathetic to Dasha and the children for their grave loss . . . Mr. Soffer denies all the allegations of wrongdoing . . . They are all without any merit. Mr. Soffer has no further comments to make at this time since the lawsuit is now pending in federal court, where he will be presenting his defence.