More than three years after a stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair left seven people dead, country group Sugarland and a host of other defendants have agreed to a settlement for those injured and the families of the deceased, which will total to more than $39 million, according to Billboard.
The country group-who was scheduled to play a concert at the fair before heavy winds caused the stage's rigging to collapse and brought the roof down with it onto the crowd below-was one of more than 18 defendants in the case. Sugarland, promoter Live Nation and 16 other defendants agreed to pay into the $39 million settlement, although a confidentiality clause prevented lawyers from disclosing how much each entity paid into the total. At least one defendant, ESG Security, opted not to buy into the settlement and its individual lawsuit will proceed to trial during 2015.
The money will be distributed to the families of those killed, and to the nearly 100 fans injured during the incident, based on the severity of the situation. The $39 million doesn't include payouts of more than $11 million made by the State of Indiana.
Both the band and the state took flack from two investigative reports, which revealed that the rigging had not been assembled in a way that met industry safety standards while state fair officials did not develop an emergency plan.
The settlement has been lingering on the minds of the band's two members, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush for the last three years: Although the group went on hiatus at the 2011, this lawsuit has lingered on.
