GREAT WHITE Station Fire Update - Insurer Doesn't Have To Pay Club Owners' Defense
July 7, 2009, 15 years ago
The Associated Press is reporting:
A judge has ruled that the owners of a Rhode Island nightclub where a fire killed 100 people cannot use the club's insurance policy to cover their legal defenses.
Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, who were each charged with 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter, had argued that the Essex Insurance Company should cover the cost of their criminal defense.
But Superior Court Judge Alice Gibney ruled last month that the insurer has no obligation to do so.
The Derderians pleaded no contest in September 2006 to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter. Jeffrey Derderian avoided prison time, and Michael Derderian was released on parole last month.
The Feb. 20, 2003, fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick began when pyrotechnics used by the 1980s rock band GREAT WHITE set ablaze soundproofing foam.
