80s Hair Metal Band to Settle with Victims of 2003 Fire for $1 Million

Over five years after a fire started by the pyrotechnics of 80’s metal band Great White in a small Rhode Island concert venue killed 100 people and injured over 200 others, it appears that some closure is coming for the victims and survivors. Great White’s insurer has agreed to a settlement payout of $1 million dollars, which will be paid out to members of class action lawsuit as determined by an as-yet-undetermined formula to be written by a Duke University law professor.

This $1 million settlement is on top of roughly $175 million that defendants of multiple lawsuits stemming from the fire back in February 2003 have offered to pay to settle out of court. This includes both the state of Rhode Island and the town of West Warwick, where the club is located, who have agreed just last month to each pay $10 million. In addition to the lawsuits, tour manager Daniel Biechele pled guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter back in 2006.

With the class action lawsuit being settled out of court, it appears that some questions that could have been raised in a trial may never be answered. Among the plaintiffs is Chris Fontaine, whose son was killed in the fire and daughter was badly injured, and expressed “I just feel that we’re never going to get the answers we need that would put some of this to rest for us.” While Great White’s insurance policy had a maximum payout of $1 million, it is unclear just how much a guilty verdict in court may have been worth.