Charleston firefighters' families reach partial settlement

From an initial field of some 30 defendants, all but about four companies have agreed to settlements

By Glenn Smith
The Post and Courier

CHARLESTON, S.C. — The families of eight of the nine Charleston firefighters who died battling the 2007 Sofa Super Store blaze have reached a more than $1.2 million partial settlement with several companies they claimed were negligent in the deaths of their loved ones.

From an initial field of some 30 defendants, all but about four companies have agreed to settlements, attorneys said. Court paperwork available Monday showed the latest round of settlements coming in at about $1.2 million, but attorney Larry Richter, who represents some of the families, said the final figure was closer to $1.5 million.

That would bring the tally to date to a total of $8.4 million that companies have agreed to pay the families, attorneys said.

The companies that settled include several furniture manufacturers whose products were sold at the store at the time of the fire on June 18, 2007. The suits alleged that the furniture manufacturers failed to warn people selling and using the furniture that the products contain polyurethane foam, a flammable material that can increase the potential danger in the event of a fire.

Among the remaining defendants are the Sofa Super Store itself and its operators, the Goldstein Family Limited Partnership, Richter said. Attorneys will keep trying to resolve the case and will be prepared to go to trial soon if those efforts fail to produce a resolution, he said.

Attorney Richard Rosen, who represents the store, could not be reached for comment Monday.

The settlement money will go to the families of Assistant Engineer Michael French; Capts. Mike Benke, William "Billy" Hutchinson and Louis Mulkey; Engineer Brad Baity; and firefighters Melvin Champaign, James "Earl" Drayton and Brandon Thompson.

Engineer Mark Kelsey also died in the blaze, but no lawsuits have been filed on his behalf.

In the most recent action, court documents show the plaintiffs settled in February with Albany Industries for $500,000, Robinson & Robinson Furniture for $100,000, David Miller Concrete for $125,000 and Best Chairs Inc. for $88,888. Overnight Sofa Corp., Pembrook Chair Corp., Hughes Furniture Industries Inc. and Motion-Eaze Recliners also agreed to pay the families a combined $400,000.