Members of the rock band Great White, whose pyrotechnics sparked a nightclub fire that killed 100 people and injured more than 200 others five years ago, have agreed to pay $1 million to survivors and victims’ relatives, according to court papers filed on Tuesday.
The deadly incident took place in February 2003 at The
Station nightclub in
So far, approximately $175 million has been offered by dozens of defendants in order to settle the lawsuits over the blaze, which represents the fourth-deadliest nightclub fire in American history, The Associated Press reported.
Great White members do not admit any misconduct as part of the settlement, which calls for the endorsement of the more than 300 people suing, among other conditions.
The blaze started when Great White’s tour manager, Daniel Biechele, shot off streams of pyrotechnics at the beginning of the gig. In addition to this, the sparks from the pyrotechnics ignited the low-cost packaging foam the club’s owners had used as soundproofing around the stage.
In spite of the fact that the band members were never charged, Daniel Biechele pleaded guilty two years ago to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter but was nevertheless paroled in March after serving less than half of his four-year jail sentence.
The settlement covers Biechele, lead singer Jack Russell, the record label, manager, management company, as well as other members of the group at the time of the fire.