Sugarland trying to 'pass the blame' in Indiana State Fair Stage Collapse, lawyer says
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Country group Sugarland filed a response to a class-action lawsuit naming them in the Indiana State Fair stage collapse that killed seven and injured dozens last summer, saying the incident was an “act of God” and that they should not be held responsible, Fox59.com reports.
According to court documents filed by the band, the collapse “resulted from a gust of wind of unprecedented intensity, which caused a structure that may have been improperly designed, maintained or inspected to fail. As such, this was a true accident or Act of God.”
Mario Massillamany, an attorney representing one of the victims in the lawsuit told Fox59 that the tragedy should not be blamed on God and that the band was trying to “pass the blame.”
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According to the documents, Sugarland said “some or all of the Plaintiff’s claimed injuries resulted from their own fault,” and “some or all of the plaintiffs knowingly and voluntarily assumed and/or incurred the risk of injury to themselves.”
The band also said the Indiana State Fair Board, Mid-America Sound, the National Weather Service, Indiana State Police, Local 30 and others were to blame, Fox59 reports. The band said it did not make calls and “relied upon information provided to them by other parties.”
But the Indiana State Fair Commission Executive Director Cindy Hoye recently said Sugarland refused to delay the concert twice, Fox59 reports. Hoye said the band was concerned with making another gig in Iowa, among other issues.
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