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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe state can't be held responsible for work performed by the contractor that built the stage rigging that gave way during the 2011 Indiana State Fair stage collapse, a judge ruled.
The Indiana attorney general's office said Tuesday that a Marion County judge has denied Mid-America Sound Corp.'s claim that the state is financially responsible for the cost of its defense and any judgments against it.
Mid-America built the roof and rigging used to hold the lights and sound equipment, which collapsed during a concert in August 2011, killing seven people and injuring dozens of others.
The disaster spawned several lawsuits, eight of which were consolidated and are being heard in Marion County Superior Court. Mid-America argued that the state was obligated by its contract to cover the company's legal costs. But Judge Theodore Sosin disagreed in a two-page ruling.
Monday's decision doesn't end the litigation over the fatal collapse.
A spokeswoman for the Greenfield-based company had no immediate comment Tuesday.
The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Mid-America $63,000 for three serious violations of industry standards, which it said contributed to the accident.
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