Offer $21 Million In GREAT WHITE .....

Anheuser-Busch Inc, Rhode Island Beer Distributor Offer $21 Million In GREAT WHITE Fire


According to Boston.com,

Brewer Anheuser-Busch Inc. and a Rhode Island beer distributor have agreed to pay $21 million to settle lawsuits brought by survivors of a 2003 nightclub fire and relatives of the 100 people killed, according to court papers filed Friday.

The February 2003 fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick began when pyrotechnics used by the rock band GREAT WHITE ignited flammable soundproofing foam on the club's walls and ceiling. More than 200 people were injured.

Anheuser-Busch is the latest big-name defendant to settle the case rather than bear the costs of continuing litigation or risk the uncertainty of a jury trial.

The St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch and its Cranston-based distributor, McLaughlin & Moran, did not admit wrongdoing.

The latest agreements with plaintiffs' attorneys mean more than $122 million has now been offered to victims' families and survivors by more than a dozen defendants, including The Home Depot, which sold insulation used in the club, and Clear Channel Broadcasting, whose local rock radio station promoted the concert.

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GREAT WHITE - Foam Company Offers R.I. Fire Plaintiffs $6.3 Million

According to Eric Tucker from the Associated Press, a company that sold flammable foam blamed for fueling a Rhode Island nightclub fire that killed 100 people has agreed to pay $6.3 million to settle lawsuits from survivors and victims' relatives.

The agreement filed Thursday by Johnston-based American Foam Corp. brings total settlements offered in the case to roughly $155 million. The settlement must be approved by the hundreds of people suing.

The February 20, 2003, fire at The Station nightclub began when pyrotechnics for rock band GREAT WHITE ignited the foam, which was used as soundproofing around the stage.

The families sued American Foam, alleging the company did not warn the nightclub owner that the foam was flammable.