This Disgusts Me

UltraMagnus007 wrote:

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.

For some reason people from New York despise New Jersey (and if I'm not mistaken, vice versa). I like that episode of Futurama where Fry and Bender are looking for an apartment in New New York. They find an apartment that is absolutly perfect and ask what the catch is. The guy replies, "Well technically were in New Jersey." Next scene has Fry lamenting that there is not a single livable place in the city. Me being from the Southwest, I don't really understand it but it is funny to hear.

Quote :

For some reason people from New York despise New Jersey

Most Pennsylvanias are like that too. Unfortunately for us, their lower gas prices, liberal liquor laws and almost needle-free beaches make traveling to Jersey a necessary evil sometimes.

DallasBlack wrote:

For some reason people from New York despise New Jersey

It's true. But we despise'em right back.

Seriously, though... both of their football teams play on OUR side of the river. So New York has to at least pretend to be nice to us, or we'll have the entire Jets and Giants rosters shot and dumped in the Pine Barrens.

I imagine the fires of hell will burn a lot hotter than the Station fire.

Quote :

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Brewer Anheuser-Busch Inc. and a Rhode Island beer distributor have agreed to pay $21 million to settle lawsuits brought by survivors of a 2003 nightclub fire and relatives of the 100 people killed, according to court papers filed Friday.

The February 2003 fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick began when pyrotechnics used by the rock band Great White ignited flammable soundproofing foam on the club's walls and ceiling. More than 200 people were injured.

Anheuser-Busch is the latest big-name defendant to settle the case rather than bear the costs of continuing litigation or risk the uncertainty of a jury trial.

The St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch and its Cranston-based distributor, McLaughlin & Moran, did not admit wrongdoing.

The latest agreements with plaintiffs' attorneys mean more than $122 million has now been offered to victims' families and survivors by more than a dozen defendants, including The Home Depot, which sold insulation used in the club, and Clear Channel Broadcasting, whose local rock radio station promoted the concert.

A group of foam manufacturers agreed earlier this month to settle for $30 million.

More than 300 survivors and victims' relatives sued dozens of people and companies over the fire. Defendants remaining in the case include the state of Rhode Island, the town of West Warwick and American Foam Corporation, a Johnston company accused of selling the flammable foam to the club.

Anheuser-Busch and McLaughlin & Moran were named in the lawsuits because survivors and victims' families said they helped promote the concert by selling Budweiser beer, T-shirts and hats at the show and displayed a banner outside the club that invited patrons to "Party with Budweiser."

The victims' lawyers said Anheuser-Busch allowed its Budweiser trademark to be used "without making such minimal inquiry sufficient to discover the dangers of the band's performance."

They also said a rock radio station disc jockey paid by McLaughlin & Moran to serve as master of ceremonies and introduce Great White would have been positioned to stop the band from using the pyrotechnics but failed to do so. The disc jockey, Michael Gonsalves, was among those killed.

Under terms of the settlement, Anheuser-Busch will pay $5 million and McLaughlin & Moran will pay $16 million.

McLaughlin & Moran said in a written statement that it was pleased about the settlement and hopes the case will be concluded quickly so the money can be paid out.

Gary L. Rutledge, the vice president for legal and government affairs at Anheuser-Busch Cos., said in a written statement that the company had no responsibility for the fire but was sensitive to the families.

"As a result, we wanted to direct the resources we would have committed to defending these lawsuits to those families," the statement said.

The settlement requires the approval of each person suing as well as the federal judge overseeing the case, among other conditions. A Duke University law professor is devising a formula to split the settlement money among the plaintiffs, and no families or survivors have received any money yet.

The fire also led to separate criminal charges against club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, who installed the foam, and former Great White tour manager Daniel Biechele, who set off the pyrotechnics. All three entered pleas to involuntary manslaughter charges, with Biechele and Michael Derderian each getting four-year prison sentences. Jeffrey Derderian was sentenced to community service and three years probation.

Biechele was released on parole in March, and Derderian will be freed next year.

Disgracefull.

Sue: Levi's - because someone had jeans on that night.
Sue: The microphone company, Fender, Gibson, and Tama - because they were used to deliver the music.
Sue: All the oil companies and car manafacturers - because people drove there.
Sue:
Sue:
Sue:


It will never end.

the sentinel wrote:

Disgracefull.

Sue: Levi's - because someone had jeans on that night.
Sue: The microphone company, Fender, Gibson, and Tama - because they were used to deliver the music.
Sue: All the oil companies and car manafacturers - because people drove there.
Sue:
Sue:
Sue:


It will never end.

Next thing, they will sue everyone who ever purchased a Great White CD. If people didn't like their music then they would never have gotten popular and wouldn't be putting on a show in the first place. I don't know whats worse; the survivors and victims for suing everybody under the sun, the lawyers who bring forth these lawsuits, or the courts for allowing this BS to go so far.

Aquanet is lucky this didn't happen in the 80s.

Quote :

Gary L. Rutledge, the vice president for legal and government affairs
at Anheuser-Busch Cos., said in a written statement that the company
had no responsibility for the fire but was sensitive to the families.

In other words, "Anheuser Busch had absolutely nothing to do with this but we're going to give you money to make you go away before our company name gets dragged into it and becomes a P.R. nightmare for us."

Pretty sneaky, sis.

That's how these things go. The company pays to shut them up. Otherwise they'd spend more just defending themselves. In the end they'd likely win, but when you can pay $30 million instead of $70 million to win the lawsuit, the company will pay up.

I have no respect for these people. I'm willing to bet the grave sites of these victims are littered with wilted, dead flowers. But hey, that's a sweet HD flat screen, dude!

Eyesore wrote:

Aquanet is lucky this didn't happen in the 80s.

It's almost getting to be a bad joke (if it's not already) how many defendants are continuing to be added to this.

I honestly don't think it was EVER about doing the right thing. I think it was a witch hunt almost from the start. Its human nature...something terrible happens, we look for someone/something to blame.



Arttie

arttieTHE1manparty wrote:

I honestly don't think it was EVER about doing the right thing. I think it was a witch hunt almost from the start. Its human nature...something terrible happens, we look for someone/something to blame.



Arttie

That's understandable. Point the finger, throw blame around. But this isn't about blame. If money were not an outcome here, would these people be suing? If all the court did was agree or disagree that someone was to blame, would these people be suing? Of course not. It's money. They've put a price tag on the life of their loved one. Simple as that. It's a disgrace.

And like I said, this isn't about those that died, it's about fattening the pockets of those that still live. Sure, some people that burned didn't die. That's horrible. But it's life! They live while others died. Not enough? They don't deserve money from people that had nothing to do with this tragedy. They should all be ashamed of themselves. And I hope hell is hot enough for them.