GREAT WHITE: Lawyer For Nightclub Fire Defendant Asks To Withdraw From Case

May 25, 2006

The Associated Press is reporting that a lawyer for one of the owners of The Station nightclub where a fire killed 100 people announced Thursday (May 25) that he planned to drop out of the case, and a Boston-based defense attorney whose clients have included mob figures has asked to take his place.

Jeff Pine represents Jeffrey Derderian, who is charged along with his brother, Michael, with 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter stemming from the 2003 fire at the club that was sparked by rock band GREAT WHITE's pyrotechnics.

Pine's request to withdraw comes as the Derderians await trial. Jeffrey Derderian is expected to stand trial after his brother, whose trial has been scheduled for July 31.

In a statement released Thursday, Pine said he still believed in Derderian's innocence and said the decision to withdraw was mutual.

"My specific concern was the extended commitment that would be required to go forward on my part, and the potential impact upon my responsibility to other clients," Pine, a former Rhode Island attorney general, said in an interview with The Associated Press. "That's my primary concern."

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