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Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles has been ordered to testify in a lawsuit related to a stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair in 2011, EW reports.
The stage collapse killed seven people, and the lawsuit in which Nettles will testify stems from the incident.
Members of Sugarland have denied responsibility for the incident. However, Marion, Indiana Superior Court Judge Theodore Sosin ordered the singer to testify in April to clarify whether the band opted not to delay their performance, despite warnings of severe weather conditions. The country group was preparing to take the stage when 60-70 MPH winds blew through the area, causing the stage to collapse and injuring 58 people and killing seven, including two lesbians.
The Indiana State Fair Commission Executive Director testified in a deposition in January that officials from the fair spoke with the band’s representatives about delaying the concert until the severe weather had passed, but the band declined because they were concerned about scheduling conflicts.
The company that built the stage’s rigging and roofing, Mid-America Sound Corp., is facing lawsuits over the stage collapse, and their lawyer asked that Sugarland give depositions starting next week, but Judge Sosin approved the band’s attorneys’ request to delay until April.
Nettles must let the judge know which dates between April 1 and April 15 that she is available to testify. Nettles’ bandmate, Kristian Bush, is not being called to testify.
"Certainly there's a lot of fault to go around in this case," said Kenneth J. Allen, the attorney representing the victims of the stage collapse. "However, having said that, Ms. Nettles and Mr. Bush are at the top of the decision tree. They had the opportunity to postpone this and chose not to. We need to know why and whether there was a legitimate reason."
Family members of victims of the stage collapse have filed several lawsuits relating to the incident. In December the state of Indiana settled a suit involving most of those who sued after the stage collapse, including the same-sex partners of two women who were killed. The state agreed to pay $300,000 to each family of the seven people killed, in addition to a portion of the medical costs of anyone else injured in the accident.
One victim, Christina Santiago, and her partner Alisha Brennon, who was injured in the incident, had a civil union in Illinois, which is not recognized in Indiana. However, Brennon received the same settlement as the heterosexual partners, possibly setting a precedent according to Brennon’s lawyer Kenneth Allen. Brennon also recieved $114,000 towards her own medical bills.
Janeen Beth Urschel also received a $300,000 settlement as her partner Tammy Jean VanDam died in the accident. Urschel, who was paid $45,000 towards her medical expenses, was also represented by Allen’s office.
