Judge Throws Out Lawsuit in Grand Forks Arena Fire

A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit accusing a company of negligence in a 2012 fire at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.

The complaint filed by Arena Holdings Charitable and RE Arena, Inc., seeks $5 million from Harman Professional, Inc., and Harman International Industries.

Arena officials say the fire originated in a speaker as the result of a direct electrical current from the amplifier. The fire caused smoke damage and damage to electronics.

The defendants have argued that any damages were the result of the arena’s “own negligence, misuse of product and assumption of risk or other fault.”

Lawyers were not available for comment.