Fair Victims Sue Sugarland Over Collapse

Country duo Sugarland was named in a lawsuit filed Tuesday by 44 survivors of the Indiana State Fair stage collapse and family members of four people who died, by far the largest claim yet coming from the tragedy.

Attorneys representing at least 20 law firms across Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky filed the complaint alleging breach of reasonable care to the victims in Marion Superior court in Indianapolis. The lawsuit unspecified damages from Sugarland, producers, stage riggers, and others associated with the show. Stage rigging collapsed into spectators following a wind gust of at least 60 mph, killing seven people and hurting more than 40 others. Sugarland had not yet taken the stage when the collapse occurred.

Sugarland’s contract specified the act had the final say on whether to cancel the concert due to weather, plaintiff’s attorney Mario Massillamany of Logansport said in a news release. Claiming the tragedy could have been prevented and avoided if the responsible parties had been concerned about the concertgoers that night. This is a tragedy that has affected hundreds of people. It is critical to help the victims pay medical bills and other financial expenses that they have incurred from the incident.

The complaint charges that Sugarland and the other entities owed a duty to provide a safe concert environment and use reasonable care in the direction, set up, and supervision of the concert. At least two other lawsuits on behalf of the victims of the stage collapse have been filed against Sugarland and other defendants.