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Civil Suit Filed Against Great White and Others For RI Club Fire - musicNEWS


07-19-04
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226 plaintiffs are named in a civil suit that was filed last week in Providence Superior Court against various defendants in connection with the deadly February 2003 fire at The Station Nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island. 

MTV reports that eight lawyers filed the suit on behalf of the families of 80 of the 100 people that were killed in the blaze and 146 of the over 200 people that were injured. The defendant in the suit include Great White, the club owners, the manufactures of the foam used on the club walls for soundproofing, the fireworks manufacturer,  Lloyd's of London(Insurance company), CBS Broadcasting (who employed club co-owner Jeffrey Derderian as an investigative reporter for an affiliate station in RI), Great White�s tour bus provider, government officials that were responsible for fire safety inspections, Great White�s former road manager Daniel Biechele, the man that reportedly set off the fireworks that caused the deadly fire. The suit also goes after the companies that sponsored the deadly concert including Anheuser-Busch, their local distributor, Clear Channel Communications and  Rhode Island radio station WHJY-FM. 

The club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian and Biechele also face 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter in a separate criminal case. Jeffrey Derderian and cameraman Brian Butler (also named in the suit) were  reportedly working on an investigative report on club safety for Rhode Island CBS Affiliate Channel 12, the night of the fire.  Butler captured the start of the fire on tape. 

The three defendants in the criminal case plead not guilty. 

more on The Station club fire
 
 
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