McLaughlin & Moran, Anheuser-Busch offer <br> $21M settlement in Station fire case

PROVIDENCE – Anheuser-Busch and local distributor McLaughlin & Moran have tentatively agreed to pay a $21 million civil settlement in lawsuits arising from The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick. They admitted no wrongdoing in the fatal fire.
The Feb. 20, 2003, conflagration killed 100 people and injured more than 200. It began when fireworks used by the rock band Great White ignited soundproofing foam inside the club.
“McLaughlin & Moran’s insurance carriers have tentatively accepted an offer made by lawyers for victims in the Station litigation,” the Cranston-based distributor said in a statement. “Under the proposal, the carriers would pay $16 million for settlement of all claims against McLaughlin & Moran.”
The other $5 million would be paid by St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch, the nation’s largest brewer. The companies were blamed by survivors of the fatal nightclub fire and victims’ relatives for helping to promote the concert, The Associated Press noted.
“There has been no suggestion in this case that McLaughlin & Moran caused the fire,” the company noted in its statement.
“Claims have been made that the company was liable in part for ‘sponsoring’ the event,” McLaughlin & Moran noted. “The company has vigorously defended those claims, but we are pleased that a conditional settlement has been reached and we hope the case can be concluded quickly so that the funds can be distributed.”
The settlement offer was filed Friday in U.S. District Court, Providence. It still must be approved by the court and by all plaintiffs.
So far, more than $122 million in settlements have been offered in the case by defendants including Home Depot, which sold insulation used in the nightclub. The total includes $22 million from local radio station 94 WHJY FM, which promoted the concert, and the station’s parent company Clear Channel Communications Inc. (READ MORE); $30 million from WPRI-TV Channel 12 and cameraman Brian Butler, and the station’s parent company, LIN TV Corp. (READ MORE); and a tentative settlement of $30 million offered this month by four makers of soundproofing foam (READ MORE).
McLaughlin & Moran Inc., founded in Cumberland in 1936, is a distributor of beer and related products to more than 1,800 retail outlets across Rhode Island. For more information, visit www.abwholesaler.com/mclaughlinmoran.
Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. – parent of the nation’s largest brewing company, Anheuser-Busch Inc. – has four segments: domestic beer, international beer, packaging and entertainment. Best known for its Budweiser, Busch and Michelob brands, it also produces specialty beers, nonalcoholic brews, malt liquors and flavored malt beverages and owns a stake in RedHook and the Widmer Brothers Brewery. To learn more, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.
For more information about the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, and The Station fire cases, visit www.rid.uscourts.gov.