FALL RIVER, Mass. -- The first wrongful death lawsuit stemming from the Feb. 20 Rhode Island nightclub fire was filed Tuesday.
NewsCenter 5's David Boeri reported that the lawsuit names the owners of The Station nightclub, the town of West Warwick, the fire inspector, the band and the makers of the pyrotechnics blamed for sparking the fire that killed 98 people.
The lawsuit was filed by the families of Tina Ayer, 33, of Warwick, R.I., and Donald Rodriques, 46 of Fall River, Mass.
"We have two families with minor children who lost the breadwinners in these families, and we're trying to get them compensated as quickly as we can," plaintiffs' attorney Brian Cunha said.
Fourteen defendants are named in the lawsuit. Nightclub owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, fire inspector Denis Larocque and the band Great White are named specifically, while the manufacturer of the pyrotechnics is named "John Doe," because Cunha said he did not yet know the name of the company.
American Foam Corp., which manufactured the foam on the club's walls that appeared to quickly spread the flames, was also named.
"It's a combination of the negligence of all of those people that we've named that we feel caused this horrible, terrible tragedy," Cunha said. "Clearly the Derderians owned that nightclub. They had the responsibility to make sure that place was safe. They're at the top of the list."
The lawsuit does not specify damages.
Cunha said that he has spoken to relatives of four victims, and more plaintiffs may be added to the case.
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