Rock Band Settles in Rhode Island Fire

The rock band Great White has entered into a settlement agreement for its role in the 2003 fire at The Station night club in Rhode Island.  They have agreed to a million dollar settlement.

The defendants in the case are listed as the band members, their tour manager, Daniel Biechele, Manic Music Management Inc., and Knight Records Inc. Band member Ty Longley was among those killed.

One hundred people died in the inferno and about 200  others suffered injuries.  The inferno started when when Biechele lit the band’s pyrotechnics display in the West Warwick nightclub, sparking a flame that spread to foam insulation used as sound proofing. The foam acted as a fuel for the fire and a thick, black smoke quickly poisoned the air, making it a disaster within minutes.

Biechele admitted that he did not have a permit for the fireworks display and pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter.  He served two years of his 4-year prison term before being paroled.

The owners of the nightclub pleaded no contest to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter.  Michael Derderian  served four years in prison; Jeffrey Derderian received probation.

The fire was the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history and has so far resulted in about 175 million dollars in settlements.   Among those making settlements are the State of Rhode Island and the Town of West Warwick, each paying $20 million; Anheuser-Busch and a Rhode Island beer distributor,  each paying $21 million and several foam manufacturers agreeing to pay $30 million.

By settling these lawsuits, none of the defendants have admitted any wrongdoing.