Judge Denies Defense Motion In GREAT WHITE Nightclub Fire Case

The Associated Press is reporting that the owners of The Station nightclub, Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, appeared in court yesterday for a motion in the criminal case against them for the deadly 2003 fire at the club.

Superior Court Judge Francis Darigan called it a historic moment in the case because it was the first time a contested motion has been argued in open court.

Lawyers for the Derderians had asked the judge to compel prosecutors to give them more information on the so-called bill of particulars, the prosecution's outline of the case. They said they wanted prosecutors to be more specific about the state's theory.

Darigan denied the motion, saying the state had provided well-catalogued and organized information so far.

Prosecutors yesterday also offered a glimpse into how they will argue the case. Prosecutor William Ferland, turning to defense attorneys, said their clients set off fireworks in a tiny club.

"One hundred people died," he said. "We will prove they were negligent."

The Derderians have pleaded innocent to 200 counts each of manslaughter in the deaths of 100 people in the Feb. 20, 2003 blaze at their club.

Also charged is Dan Biechele, former manager of the band GREAT WHITE, who ignited the pyrotechnics that sparked the blaze. Biechle, who has also pleaded innocent, did not appear in court yesterday, according to Andrea Krupp, a spokeswoman for the court.

Darigan has said he does not expect the criminal trial to start until January at the earliest. Defense lawyer Kathleen Hagerty said the defendants will ask for separate trials, the Providence Journal reported on its Web site.