Charleston 9 Firefighters’ Families Reach Final Settlement
July 1, 2011
MT. PLEASANT, SC – July 1, 2011 – Motley Rice, along with Knight Law Firm; O’Neill & Phipps; The Richter Firm ; The Solomon Law Group; and Woodley & McGillivary, have announced a final settlement agreement with the families of the fallen Charleston 9 in connection with the Sofa Super Store fire litigation.
The settlement releases the remaining defendants who were not included in the December 5, 2008 settlement of all claims or potential claims. There were several remaining defendants including: Sofa Super Store, Inc.; Goldstein Family Limited Partnership; Herbert A. Goldstein, LLC and Furniture Retailers of Charleston, Inc.
“My children and I, as well as the other Charleston 9 families, have suffered such an immense loss that no other family should ever have to endure. My hope is that we not only continue to honor the memory of the Charleston 9, but also call attention to the negligence and failures that led to the tragedy,” said Heather Baity, widow of fallen firefighter Rodney Baity.
“These families were determined to try to prevent future tragedies like this from happening. They hope they have succeeded in making our community safer for everyone. Now they can move forward. It was an honor to represent these families.” said David Whittington of Knight Law Firm.
“These men put their lives on the line every day for each other and for all of us. They are heroes,” said attorney Larry Richter. Attorney Carl Solomon echoed the sentiment, “I have had no greater honor than to stand with the Charleston 9 families. Their strength is truly inspiring.”
The settlement has been approved by all parties and the court. It concludes all pending litigation as a result of the fire at the West Ashley Sofa Super Store on June 18, 2007 that killed nine City of Charleston firefighters. The fire was the worst single incident to claim firefighters’ lives since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
The consolidated case Charleston Fire Litigation v. Sofa Super Store, Inc., et al, No. 07-CP-10-3186 (Court of Common Pleas for the Ninth Judicial Circuit) was litigated by Kevin Dean of Motley Rice LLC; Dennis O’Neill of O’Neill & Phipps, LLC; Lawrence Richter of The Richter Firm, LLC; Carl Solomon of The Solomon Law Group; David Whittington of Knight Law Firm, LLC; and Thomas Woodley of Woodley & McGillivary, served as co-counsel.
About Motley Rice LLC
Motley Rice is one of the nation’s largest plaintiffs’ litigation firms. Motley Rice attorneys have experience taking on complex civil cases against large corporate wrongdoers, including a pioneering asbestos lawsuit in the 1970’s, tobacco litigation and their lawsuit against terrorist financiers on behalf of 9/11 families. With more than 65 attorneys and hundreds of staff, the firm handled cases in the areas of defective products such as firepots resulting in gel fuel burns, wrongful death, environmental contamination, aviation disasters, securities and consumer fraud, mesothelioma and other occupational diseases, prescription drugs such as Fosamax® and medical device defects, including DePuy hip replacements. Motley Rice LLC is headquartered in the Charleston, S.C., area and has additional offices in California; Connecticut; New York; Rhode Island; Washington, D.C.; and West Virginia. Motley Rice LLP operates the California office. For more information about the settlement, contact attorney Kevin Dean (GA, SC) at 1.877.999.1658. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
