The $39 million adds to the previous $11 million settlement paid by the state of Indiana, bringing total payouts to plaintiffs close to $50 million. The $11 million sum paid by the state includes a $6 million supplement approved by Indiana’s General Assembly on top of the state’s original payout, which had been capped by a tort reform measure at $5 million.
Nearly 20 defendants agreed to the settlement, including concert promoter Live Nation, country duo Sugarland, staging rental company Mid-America Sound and truss maker James Thomas Engineering. The latter two had previously offered to settle with a $7.2 million sum in mid-2012, but plaintiffs did not unanimously approve that deal.
Only one of nearly 20 companies named in the lawsuit, ESG Security, opted against settlement; they are expected to be defending their role in court next year.
Separately, on Dec. 15, lawyers for one of the victims filed a request with the Indiana Court of Appeals to repeal the tort reform measure that capped the state’s original payout at $5 million.
