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Great White Fire Spurs Federal Suit
« on: Apr 22nd, 2003, 4:13pm » |
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Great White Fire Spurs Federal Suit
by Marcus Errico
Apr 22, 2003, 11:30 AM PT
There has been another Great White attack.
This time, the metalheads find themselves on the receiving end of a federal lawsuit stemming from the band's ill-fated Rhode Island gig two months ago.
In the first federal action taken in the wake of the horrific fire that killed 99 clubgoers and injured nearly 200 more, two survivors and the widow of a victim are spreading the blame around.
The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Providence on Tuesday by Tammy Passa, 24, and Walter Castle Jr., 29, both of whom made it out of the club before it burned to the ground, and Cheryl Harris-Rossi, whose husband, Joseph Rossi, 35, did not.
The trio not only fingers the band, whose pyrotechnics touched off the blaze, as culprits, but also the owners of the Station nightspot, the company that supplied the foam used as soundproofing in the club, the fire marshal who gave the club his safety seal of approval, the town of West Warwick and the state of Rhode Island.
This is the third suit filed in the wake of the fire on February 20. Two wrongful-death complaints have been launched in state court, with more likely to follow. Meanwhile, a grand jury has been weighing evidence and could decide that criminal charges should be filed.
Tuesday's complaint says Great White is culpable because the band did not have a permit to fire "sparklers" to open their set. The club owners, Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, are cited for inadequate fireproofing and allowing the band to use its pyros. American Foam Corporation are on the defensive for selling cheap, highly flammable material to the club to use for soundproofing; state law bars the use of such foam. Local and state officials, including the fire marshal, were named because, among other reasons, they failed to note the foam in inspection reports.
The band has been trying to do some damage control since the inferno, claiming they had permission to shoot their sparklers and had no idea the stage was surrounded by torchable foam. Next week, the surviving members are scheduled to reunite in Hollywood for a tribute concert, with proceeds going to the pregnant girlfriend of late bandmate Ty Longley (the 31-year-old guitarist was among those unable to escape), along with other funds aiding victims of the blaze.
Their next show, on April 29, will mark a swan song for the group best known for the hit "Once Bitten, Twice Shy." Jack Russell, Great White's frontman and mastermind, who calls the fire and its aftermath "the darkest days and nights I have ever known" in a post on the band's official Website www.mistabone.com, says he won't replace Longley and the band will not tour again.
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