This Disgusts Me

Losing a loved one is hard, and no doubt infinitely harder when it's a tragedy such as the Station fire. But this is no longer about love and justice. For a long time now, this has been about vengeance and greed.

This entire thing disgusts me now. Blame could be attributed to the club owners. No one else. There is nothing respectable about what these family members and victims—those living—are doing. And they're sh*tting all over those that did lose their lives. It's a despicable display of the dark side of humanity, if you ask me. Now, it's about money and nothing more.

Quote :

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Several foam manufacturers have agreed to pay $30 million to settle lawsuits brought by survivors and family members of those who died in a 2003 nightclub fire that killed 100 people, according to court papers filed Monday.

The foam companies that agreed to settle include Leggett & Platt Inc. based in Carthage, Mo., Wm. T. Burnett & Co. based in Baltimore and several others.

More than $100 million has now been offered to victims of the Feb. 20, 2003, fire at the Station nightclub in West Warwick from several companies, including past settlements with Home Depot, Clear Channel Broadcasting and fireworks makers.

The new settlements must be approved by the hundreds who have sued as well as the federal judge overseeing the case.

A Duke University law professor has been appointed to meet with survivors and victims' relatives to calculate a formula for how much money each person would receive under the settlements, based on the injuries they suffered.

Investigators blame flammable, egg-crate-style foam on the walls and ceiling of the club for fueling the fire, which was started when a pyrotechnics display for the rock band Great White ignited the soundproofing material.

It's still not clear which companies made the foam that was in the club. The foam was sold to club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian by American Foam Corp. in Johnston. American Foam, which has also been sued, bought foam from a handful of manufacturers. Tests were ongoing to help pinpoint the manufacturers.

Lawyers for the victims and the foam companies either declined to comment Monday or did not return phone messages seeking comment.

The victims' lawyers accuse the companies of failing to adequately test their foam before distributing or selling it and failing to educate users about the material's dangers.

The lawsuits allege that the foam was sold without any flame-retardant chemicals and produced "unreasonably dangerous toxic smoke and gases" once it was ignited. They said polyurethane foam was well-known throughout the industry as being flammable and not safe in places such as hotels and nightclubs.

The fire was the fourth-deadliest nightclub blaze in U.S. history. Besides the 100 people killed, more than 200 others were injured.

Former Great White tour manager Daniel Biechele, who lit the pyrotechnics, served 22 months in prison after pleading guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter. He was released in March. The Derderians pleaded no contest to the same charges, and Michael Derderian is currently serving a four-year sentence while his brother was spared jail time.

Move this if it's in the wrong forum...

That was such a tragic, sad event. I can't imagine how those people who lost family and friends must feel. Still, I think you are correct in your assessment.

ultmetal wrote:

That was such a tragic, sad event. I can't imagine how those people who lost family and friends must feel. Still, I think you are correct in your assessment.

Oh, none of us can imagine what the families went through. No way. This is a big deal up here, and everyone seems ot just let the victims get away with anything. Yeah, what happened was horrible. But horrible is horrible. All these people suing everyone (Home Depot, Clear Channel—WTF?), pointing their fingers at all the wrong people—including Great White, who not only lost a band member but have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the victims—and dragging the dead through the mud, all just to line their own pockets is just another kind of horrible.

Our worlds messed up, and its only going to get worse.

Stender wrote:

Our worlds messed up, and its only going to get worse.

This is very true

meh, it's the American way.

damn americans

mc666 wrote:

meh, it's the American way.

It is, but these people are so self-righteous about it all that it makes it much worse.

don't get me wrong, i agree with you. i was just adding that it's all apart of the American "get rich quick" mentality. i can't even get angry about it any more, as it's an every day occurrence. i myself have been sued numerous times by people out to milk the system.

mc666 wrote:

don't get me wrong, i agree with you. i was just adding that it's all apart of the American "get rich quick" mentality. i can't even get angry about it any more, as it's an every day occurrence. i myself have been sued numerous times by people out to milk the system.

Oh, I know. My own family is full of asshats like that—which is why I like very few members of my family. Haha.

Was the club in violation of any codes. If so, the owners alone should be held responsible. All these extraneous lawsuits are money grabs and crap like that needs to be stopped. It's like their saying, if we get enough cash the loss was worth it. Money won't bring anyone back.
Sorry if this sounds heartless, it's not meant to.

How in the world can they have sued Clear Channel & Home Depot??

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

How in the world can they have sued Clear Channel & Home Depot??

Because like MC666 said, it's the American Way! Lawyers can find a reason to sue anyone. In fact, someone, somewhere is filing a suit against Eyesore at this very moment for starting this thread and causing undue stress and defamation of the lawyers who filed this case.

And just in case anyone is thinking of disagreeing with me, be warned. I have a team of lawyers waiting to sue you for causing me mental anguish.

emptytomb1 wrote:

Was the club in violation of any codes. If so, the owners alone should be held responsible. All these extraneous lawsuits are money grabs and crap like that needs to be stopped. It's like their saying, if we get enough cash the loss was worth it. Money won't bring anyone back. Sorry if this sounds heartless, it's not meant to.

All kinds of codes. No exit sign by the back door—which would have saved tons of lives!—so no one even tried to go out that way, that's why they all bottle-necked at the front door. No fire extinguishers or sprinkler system. The "sound-proofing" foam they used was actually highly flammable packing foam (i.e. not sound-proofing foam at all, which makes it even more amazing that they're suing MULTIPLE foam manufacturers). And the club owners gave Great White permission to use the pyro, though they initially vehemently denied it.

It can be argued that Great White should have known better, but they still weren't to play. Their actions caused it, for sure, but there is a thing known as innocence in this situation. The fact that Great White's manager had to serve like two years in jail is just pathetic.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

How in the world can they have sued Clear Channel & Home Depot??

Because like MC666 said, it's the American Way! Lawyers can find a reason to sue anyone. In fact, someone, somewhere is filing a suit against Eyesore at this very moment for starting this thread and causing undue stress and defamation of the lawyers who filed this case.

And just in case anyone is thinking of disagreeing with me, be warned. I have a team of lawyers waiting to sue you for causing me mental anguish.

My point was, on what grounds? Were reps from both companies spraying lighter fluid all over everyone or blocking the exits or something? They seem like 2 completely unrelated companies to a night club fire.

Quote :

No exit sign by the back door—which would have saved tons of lives!—so no one even tried to go out that way, that's why they all bottle-necked at the front door. No fire extinguishers or sprinkler system.

This seems to me a club problem for the nightclub and any fire marshal who signed off on this joint. Should NOT have been open to the public with that list of problems.

I'm curious to know how all those other agencies/companies are being involved.

scottmitchell74 wrote:

Quote :

No exit sign by the back door—which would have saved tons of lives!—so no one even tried to go out that way, that's why they all bottle-necked at the front door. No fire extinguishers or sprinkler system.

This seems to me a club problem for the nightclub and any fire marshal who signed off on this joint. Should NOT have been open to the public with that list of problems.

I'm curious to know how all those other agencies/companies are being involved.

And, if I remember correctly, their max capacity was like 400 people, but they had over 500 in the club.

They are going after the deepest pockets, who is responsible has little to nothing to do with it.

And I agree that it is pure greed. I blame not only the families who
have taken things this far, but also the lawyers who have exacerbated
the situation for financial gain. This is the reason lawyers have such
a bad rep.

I don't know anything about the situation (Station fire) but this seems yet another example of the kind of money grabbing that disgusts me aswell. Their are many tragic events in life which have resulted in the loss of human life and I can sympathise with anyone who has lost a loved one in a tragic way but how does money bring back the dead.

This seems to be a growing culture. Greed sets in and people forget the tragedy and start to think how much they can line their own pockets.

Don't get me wrong their are some circumstances where money is needed and justified but some of the ridiculous sums that people sue over make me sick.

As I have stated before on this forum, I live in the next town over from Warwick and this was a huge and tragic event. That being said, I agree with eyesore's assessment of the situation. It seems as if people here will never be satisfied, They seem to think that mentioning the fire wipes clean all trace of greed from their requests for more benefits and fundraisers and lawsuits. It is truly the dark side of humanity!

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

How in the world can they have sued Clear Channel & Home Depot??

Because like MC666 said, it's the American Way! Lawyers can find a reason to sue anyone. In fact, someone, somewhere is filing a suit against Eyesore at this very moment for starting this thread and causing undue stress and defamation of the lawyers who filed this case.

And just in case anyone is thinking of disagreeing with me, be warned. I have a team of lawyers waiting to sue you for causing me mental anguish.

My point was, on what grounds? Were reps from both companies spraying lighter fluid all over everyone or blocking the exits or something? They seem like 2 completely unrelated companies to a night club fire.

I believe the sound proofing foam was purchased at Home Depot... and the Great White concert @ the Station was advertised on Clear Channel radio stations... so there's your connection, as asinine as that sounds.

Following that logic, if your loved one is killed in an auto accident, you should sue Chrysler (or whoever made the car they were driving) and the Jiffy Lube who did their last oil change before the crash.

Fat Freddy wrote:

Following that logic, if your loved one is
killed in an auto accident, you should sue Chrysler (or whoever made
the car they were driving) and the Jiffy Lube who did their last oil
change before the crash.

And they do.

As they say about lawyer jokes, they aren't jokes. There are aspects of America that absolutly disgusts me and the suing mentality is toward the top of the list. I remember years ago when I was a teenager, hearing a case of a bike manufacturer getting sued after a little kid was hit by a car riding his bike in the street. The parents should have been supervising the kid better but instead they shifted the blame to someone else. I've also heard of a man who went to break into someone's house and slipped on a skate in the yard. He then sued the homeowner for his physical distress. I think the lyrics to Weird Al's I'll Sue You says it all:

Quote :

I sued Taco Bell
'Cause I ate half-a-million Chalupas and I got fat
I sued Panasonic
They never said I shouldn't use their microwave to dry off my cat, huh

I sued Earthlink
'Cause I called 'em up and they had the nerve to put me on hold
I sued Starbucks
'Cause I spilled a frappucino in my lap and brr, it was cold

I sued Toys 'R Us
Cause I swallowed a Nerf ball and nearly choked to death, huh
I sued PetCo
'Cause I ate a bag of kitty litter and now I got bad breath

I sued Coca-Cola, yo
'Cause I put my finger down in a bottle and it got stuck
I sued Delta Airlines
'Cause they sold me a ticket to New Jersey - I went there, and it sucked

Yeah
If you stand me up on a date
If you deliver my pizza thirty seconds late

I'm gonna sue, sue, yes, I'm gonna sue
Sue, sue, yeah, that's what I'm gonna do
I'm gonna sue, sue, yes, I'm gonna sue
Sue, sue, yeah, I might even sue you
Ughh

I sued Duracell
They never told me not to shove that double-A right up my nose
I sued Home Depot
'Cause they sold me a hammer which they knew I might drop on my toes

I sued Dell Compueters
'Cause I took a bath with my laptop, now it doesn't work
I sued Fruit Of The Loom
'Cause when I wear my tighty-whities on my head I look like a jerk

I sued Verizon
'Cause I get all depressed every time my cell phone is roaming
I sued Colorado
'Cause you know, I think it looks a little bit too much like Wyoming

I sued Neiman Marcus
'Cause they put up their Christmas decorations way out of season
I sued Ben Affleck
Aww, do I even need a reason?

Uhh
If I sprain my ankle while I'm robbin' your place
If I hurt my knuckles while I punch you in the face

I'm gonna sue, sue, yes, I'm gonna sue
Sue, sue, yeah, that's what I'm gonna do
I'm gonna sue, sue, yes, I'm gonna sue
Sue, sue, that's right, I'm gonna sue you
Ughh, ughh, ughh

I'll sue ya, I'll take all your money
I'll sue ya if you even look at me funny
I'll sue ya, I'll take all your money
I'll sue ya if you even look at me funny
I'll sue ya, I'll take all your money
I'll sue ya if you even look at me funny
I'll sue ya, I'll take all your money
I'll sue ya if you even look at me funny

I'll sue ya, ha-ha ha ha-ha
I'll sue ya, whatchy'all think of that?
I'll sue ya, ha-ha ha ha-ha
Booya
I'll sue ya
Ughh

Quote :

I sued Delta Airlines
'Cause they sold me a ticket to New Jersey - I went there, and it sucked

Might be ok for this one.

emptytomb1 wrote:

Quote :

I sued Delta Airlines
'Cause they sold me a ticket to New Jersey - I went there, and it sucked

Might be ok for this one.

Brilliant, nothing against New Jersey by the way.