Nightclub owner to fight R.I. fire charges

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Aug. 22 (UPI) -- An upcoming trial will determine whether Michael Derderian is criminally responsible for 100 deaths in a fire at his Rhode Island nightclub three years ago.

The Providence (R.I.) Journal reported lawyers for Derderian are prepared to argue starting Wednesday he was not responsible for the overcrowding at his West Warwick club, The Station, that in part led to the deaths of 100 people when the building burned down Feb. 20, 2003.

In addition to the deaths, more than 200 people were injured when a band's pyrotechnic effects started a fire, which prompted a stampede in the overcrowded club when people attempted to escape.

Derderian's lawyers are set to argue their client had no legal duty to supervise crowd control and his absence on the night in question clears him from facing a potential 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter, the Journal said.

The newspaper said Derderian's case will begin at Kent County Courthouse Wednesday while his brother and Station co-owner, Jeffrey Derderian, will undergo a similar trial on Sept. 5.