Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- It looks increasingly unlikely that victims of The Station nightclub fire in 2003 will get any settlement money from their federal lawsuits by the end of this year. But the judge presiding over the mass-tort case seems to be getting impatient.

At a status conference with lawyers Tuesday, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Ronald R. Lagueux said he wanted a court-appointed special master, William A. Poore, to appear before him at 2 p.m. Nov. 10 to inform the court exactly when he intends to file a report concerning the proposed settlements slated to go to about 150 minors who are plaintiffs in the lawsuits.

Plaintiffs' lawyer Mark Mandell told Lagueux and U.S. Magistrate Judge David L. Martin --who has been working on the case with Lagueux -- that Poore has been laboriously reviewing proposed settlements for the minors as well as the adults who will share in the $176-million offered to settle the lawsuits.

He assured the court that Poore planned to file his report by the end of November, after he completed interviewing all of the parents or guardians of the children.

But Lagueux said he and Martin would "like to have a specific date from him" and get an update from Poore personally.

Poore was appointed special master for the minor plaintiffs to review a proposed settlement distribution grid devised by a Duke University law professor as well as proposed awards to each of the minor children of the fire victims.

Sixty-five defendants, including the State of Rhode island and the Town of West Warwick, have offered a total of $176 million to settle the federal lawsuits brought by the fire victims and their families. One hundred people died and more than 200 were injured in the Feb. 20, 2003 fire in West Warwick, the fourth-deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history.

 Tags  Station fire West Warwick RI

Leave a comment

Please be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish.

Name:

Email:

URL:  

Remember personal info?

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.