Clear Channel Still In E2 Case

Victims and family members of those killed in the 2003 E2 nightclub stampede in Chicago are still waiting for settlement money, but there may be some good news for them, and some bad news for Clear Channel Communications.

Club owners settled with the group in 2006 and $2.5 million of insurance money was put into a fund. However, because of the number of victims and family members, the amount is paltry, especially with the years of attorney fees involved, according to the Chicago Tribune.

However, Cook County Judge Kathy Flanagan has denied a motion by Clear Channel for summary judgment that would have removed it from the case. Clear Channel employed a DJ at the club who, on Feb. 17, 2003, allegedly implored security staffers to use pepper spray to break up a brawl in the club, causing a rush to the exits. The stampede resulted in 21 deaths.

“We are now ready to take the next steps in finally getting this case off to where it should be,” Flanagan told both sides in court. An attorney for eight of the victims said it is the “first step” toward achieving justice.

Clear Channel had no comment at press time.