Digital Extra: The Station Fire

12:39 PM EDT on Friday, May 20, 2005

The Associated Press

PROVIDENCE -- Lawyers for the owners of The Station nightclub cannot continue interviewing the grand jurors who indicted their clients in the deadly 2003 fire at the club, a Superior Court judge ruled today.

Lawyers for nightclub owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian wanted to interview the jurors about absences and missed testimony during the grand jury proceedings. They say most of the jurors who indicted their clients missed at least some testimony, and at least one never received a tape or transcript of the testimony that was missed.

The request was seen as a bid to get the indictments thrown out.

But Judge Francis Darigan Jr. said allowing the lawyers to question the panelists would threaten the ability of future grand juries to deliberate secretly and without fear of coming under fire from lawyers.

"Such a result would have a chilling effect on a grand jury system and will not be permitted by this court," Darigan said.

The state had argued there was no reason to allow the Derderians' lawyers to question jurors, and had said there was nothing wrong with the grand jury proceedings.

The grand jury indicted the Derderians and Dan Biechele, the former tour manager for the band Great White on 200 counts each of involuntary manslaughter for the Feb. 20, 2003, fire at the Warwick club, which killed 100 people. Sparks from pyrotechnics used by the band ignited the fire. The three defendants have pleaded innocent.