[RicocheT]

Another party to add to the law suit. The search for deep pockets continues. The lawyers always get paid first.

[Dane]

I beleive that the club and band should be held for negligence.

It looks like the band is cutting a plea bargain with the blame going to a person who actually lit the pyro's and who was hired by the band, Great White tour manager, Dan Biechele.

I hope that the club owners get the book thrown at them and I hope that the band also is charged in some way.

IMHO, it looks like the band is trying to make their tour manager, the person holding the bag, when it comes to their responsibility.

[mommadooo3]

The salesman who sold the foam to the club MAY be sleepin' with da fishies.

Ahem...tin-foil 'off'.

[Japedo]

DerManouelian said Michael Derderian, co-owner of the club, wrote out a check for a delivery of 25 sheets of the charcoal foam on June 27, 2000. The foam was 2 1/2 inches thick. Each sheet was 37 by 84 inches in diameter. It was made of polyurethane and is generally used for packing.

How'd this ever pass Fire inspection?

[Revolting cat!]

Since just about all the relevant facts are out and the guilty parties are known, this case will be interesting to watch only for what it reveals about the worlds greatest legal system. And it ain't gonna be pretty, I tell ya!

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The deepest pockets will belong to the manufacturer of the eggcrate foam, therefore they are the ones at fault.

It's the law.

[Cicero]

I assume Chicago has some kind of building code and that it doesn't allow flammable insulation in night clubs.

Of course many cities view building codes as a convenient source of graft for the inspectors.

[AppyPappy]

DING. An unsafe atmosphere

[JustAnAmerican]

""It's unfortunate," DerManouelian said. "They did not buy fire retardant foam. Yeah, they could have. We sell fire-retardant foam. They bought the wrong kind. In hindsight, they probably didn't think they were going to have a fire."

Sounds like the night club owners are in for a whole bunch of trouble. This little statement by itself would probably not really amount to much except for one thing. The owners have let other bands use Pyrotechnics, so wouldn't you think they would want fire retardant sound proofing?

And the band is also guilty to a degree in my eyes, they could have at least made sure that the surrounding material was fire proof. Not sure about anyone else, but I know if I light any type of fire I want to make sure the area around me is fireproof.

[cinFLA]

Whether the soundproofing was safe and fire retardant, as required by law, is now at the center of the investigation into the blaze at West Warwick club last week, which has killed 97 and injured another 186 people.

Can't be. The club had passed receent fire inspections with flying colors.

[rabidralph]

delivery of 25 sheets of the charcoal foam

Made by Kingsford, no doubt.

[radioman]

I think everyone is overlooking the real culprit here, corruption.

Owners of dives will always try to go the cheapest route. That's why we pay people to inspect these places.

Somebody had their palm greased to issue a permit to a dive that did not comply with public safety laws.

That somebody should be charged with negligent homicide.

[1Old Pro]

I think the bigger problem here was the stage. There was no stage, they set-up near a wall with incredibly low ceilings which appear to be only 9 feet high.

Pyrotechnics should NEVER had been allowed in that club by anyone, including the band, owners, or patrons.

 

[Revolting cat!]

You just wait for Perry to get the case. The band started the fire, but he'll prove that some evil businessman is at fault, as always in Hollywood! Is there a priest somewhere to blame, by the way?

[Shermy]

Ping.

[Uncle Hal]

My guess is that when all of this is sorted out, the lawyers will go after the deepest pockets. In this case it would seem to be the govermental agency in charge of inspecting the place. If the inspector missed the fact the tiles did not meet code then the city could have some liability. The owner of the club probably does not have enough liability insurance to cover all the claims. As for going to jail I do not know but I would guess the club owners are most vulnerable. The band probably has little or no money or insurance and probably will be glad to be rid of the problem and not charged.

[afraidfortherepublic]

The Station nightclub in June 2000 purchased $575 worth of common egg-crate packing foam for soundproofing, but it was not fire retardant.

Lord, have mercy...

[BJungNan]

How much extra would the foam have cost for fire-retardant?

[demsux]

Who is the moron that placed the pyro's in proximity of ANYTHING THAT MIGHT CATCH ON FIRE.

THAT is the person that should be held responsible.

[supercat]

One point nobody has mentioned on this thread is that, per another thread, the club had glued glitter to the foam. Many spray adhesives are extremely flammable and remain so after application. While I wouldn't expect polyurethane foam to ignite readily from sparks (it does burn well once ignited), if there was any exposed glue residue that could have been ignited exceptionally readily and in turn ignited the foam underneath.