Limp Bizkit Sued in Death

Source: RollingStone.com
ALEX MAR
(Posted Nov 30, 2004)

Rockers face civil suit stemming from 2001 Australian show

The family of Jessica Michalik has filed a civil action lawsuit against Limp Bizkit for the death of their daughter during the band's Big Day Out festival set in Sydney, Australia, in 2001. The sixteen-year-old was trampled in a crowd crush that injured thirty others, and died in a hospital five days later. After a 2002 police investigation, Limp Bizkit were not charged with any wrongdoing.

Parents George and Barbara Michalik have filed separate suits in the death of Jessica, their only child, against the band's individual members and their company, Limp Bizness. George also filed suit against Big Day Out promoter Creative Entertainment Australia, stage and barrier constructors Australasian Event Services and security company Australian Event Protection. His central charge is that the tragedy could have been prevented with more adequate barriers and security in place. During the 2002 investigation, Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst stated that the band had asked Creative Entertainment for additional crowd barricades for the Sydney concert after a crowd crush in Auckland, New Zealand.

The Michaliks have separated since Jessica's death, and George Michalik has resigned from his job at a local science museum. Although nearly four years have passed since the incident, the case -- which seeks financial compensation -- is not likely to begin until late 2005 or early 2006. "The purpose of the action is to find a degree of vindication," family attorney Michael Short stated in the Australian press. "It is about completion and finalizing things."

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