PROVIDENCE, RI -- Michael and Jeffrey Derderian say the reason they didn't buy required workers' compensation insurance for their Station nightclub employees was because they were under the mistaken impression they they didn't need to have it since none of their workers were full-time.
In newly filed court papers, they say that they did buy such insurance for another business they ran with full-time employees, "demonstrating that the lack of insurance at the Station was not because of a flagrant disregard for the law."
The brothers are urging the state Supreme Court to review the $1.066-million penalty that has been levied against them for failing to have workers' compensation insurance for their Station workers, four of of whom died in the catastrophic blaze on Feb. 20, 2003.
Related: Labor Dept.: Time for Station nightclub owners to pay fine for lack of workers' comp coverage