GREAT WHITE - Station Fire Victims ......

GREAT WHITE - Station Fire Victims May Not Get Payments For Months





Tracy Breton from Projo.com is reporting:
Lawyers for the victims of the Station nightclub fire had hoped that their clients would be getting their settlements this summer. But the payouts are still months away.

Now it looks like the victims will be lucky if they get their money by the end of the year.

Sixty five defendants have offered a total of $176 million to settle federal lawsuits brought by more than 300 injured victims and families who lost a loved one in the Feb. 20, 2003, fire in West Warwick — the fourth-deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history. The legal proceedings spawned by the fire have been unprecedented in Rhode Island in terms of the numbers of plaintiffs, defendants and lawyer hours that have been spent on behalf of both the plaintiffs and defendants in working out settlement agreements.

The last of the settlements was offered 10 months ago. But to date, none of the money has been put in a fund for the victims. And there is still much left to be done before the payouts begin.

As of last week, the parties that have offered to pay the settlements had still not finally approved a proposed release form that each victim who receives money will be asked to sign — giving up all claims against the defendants.

And a court-appointed lawyer is still making his way through a slew of proposed settlements for the 181 minors who are slated to get payments — a mammoth task that, according to legal experts, will involve interviewing each of their guardians.

And before any money can be paid out, probate judges in each of the municipalities where the deceased victims resided — both in Rhode Island and elsewhere in the United States — will have to hold separate hearings and review the settlement agreements as part of the process of closing their estates.

Further delaying matters is a provision in a few of the settlement agreements that gives Anheuser-Busch, the beer manufacturer, and the polyurethane foam manufacturers that were targeted in the lawsuits up to 90 days to pay up after the court gives its final approval to the settlements.

Also, several of the fire victims have filed for bankruptcy so any money they will get from the settlements will first go to a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee who will pay off any non-dischargeable claims against them before distributing the rest to them.

The next status conference in the case is not scheduled until Aug. 20.

One hundred people died and more than 200 others were injured in the fire at The Station that began when the rock band GREAT WHITE set off fireworks inside the overcrowded wood-frame roadhouse. The pyrotechnics ignited highly flammable foam that the owners of the club, Michael and Jeffrey Derderian, had installed as soundproofing.

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GREAT WHITE - Survivors To Gather At Site Of Tragic Nightclub Fire






Boston.com is reporting:

Survivors of the Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, R.I., a blaze that killed 100 people on February 20, 2003, will mark the anniversary of the tragedy shortly after 11 p.m. tonight on the former site of the club, sharing remembrances of loved ones who died and taking a "pilgrimage walk" through an area on the site marked with crosses for the deceased, according to one survivor who lost her fiance in the fire.

Gina Russo of Cranston, R.I., said as many as 50 survivors may attend tonight's observance, which a small group has held every year since the deadly blaze.

"We do our best to pay our respects," said Russo, whose fiance Alfred Crisostomi died in the fire. "Just to talk about the people who have died, it's our tribute to them."

The fire at the West Warwick club began when pyrotechnics from the rock band Great White ignited cheap soundproofing foam around the stage, engulfing the building in flames.

Club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian pleaded no contest to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter, and former Great White tour manager Daniel Biechele pleaded guilty to the same charges. Biechele and Michael Derderian served time in prison. The dozens of people and companies that were sued have agreed to settle for a combined $176 million.

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Victims Of GREAT WHITE Nightclub Fire To Receive Money Soon





According to The Associated Press, hundreds of people affected by one of the nation’s deadliest nightclub fires will soon receive money from lawsuits over the blaze.

A federal judge on Tuesday signed an order requiring roughly $176 million in settlement funds to be deposited into a trust account within 90 days.

The money will then be distributed to survivors of The Station nightclub and relatives of the 100 people killed.

The Feb. 20, 2003, fire at the West Warwick club began when pyrotechnics used by the rock band GREAT WHITE set ablaze soundproofing foam around the stage. Besides the 100 killed, more than 200 others were injured.

Several dozen people and companies, including foam manufacturers and the town of West Warwick, agreed to settle.

Victims’ lawyers are receiving roughly one-third of the settlement money.