Rhode Island Nightclub Owners Appealing $1M Fine in Fire Case

The owners of a Rhode Island nightclub where 100 people died in a fire are asking the state Supreme Court to overturn a $1 million fine against them for failing to carry workers’ compensation insurance for nearly three years.

Michael and Jeffrey Derderian owned The Station nightclub in West Warwick, which went up in flames Feb. 20, 2003, when a rock band’s pyrotechnics set fire to soundproofing foam. Four club employees were among those who died.

A workers’ compensation judge levied the fine in 2004, but the penalty got tied up in appeals. A three-judge panel of the workers’ compensation court upheld the $1 million fine last month.

The Providence Journal reports that the state Supreme Court may decide as early as this week whether to hear the appeal.