Rhode Island Nightclub Fire Settlement

Another settlement has been reached in the Rhode Island nightclub fire litigation.  Clear Channel Broadcasting, which owns the radio station that promoted the 2003 rock concert that ended in a tragic fire when pyrotechnics used by the band Great White ignited the club's soundproofing foam, has agreed to a $22 million aggregate settlement, according to this AP article on Law.com.  The deal still requires the consent of each of the plaintiffs.  According to the Law.com story, "[t]he tentative deal brings to more than $70 million the total amount of settlement money offered to survivors and victims' relatives. Other defendants that have reached settlements in recent months include The Home Depot, a manufacturer of insulation material, a pyrotechnics maker and a TV station whose cameraman was accused of blocking an exit while filming the fire."  An earlier aggregate settlement was negotiated with other defendants several months ago.  Here's more from today's news report:

The owner of a radio station that promoted a rock concert where pyrotechnics ignited a deadly blaze reached a tentative $22 million settlement with survivors and victims' relatives, according to court papers filed Wednesday.

The deal with Clear Channel Broadcasting is the latest in a series of settlements stemming from the Feb. 20, 2003, fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, R.I., that killed 100 people and injured more than twice that many. ...

The settlement requires the approval of all the plaintiffs and the federal judge overseeing the case, among other conditions, the court papers said. A Duke University law professor has been appointed to create a formula for the distribution of settlement money.

HME