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DMB Settles Dumping Dispute
05/02/2005 1:47 PM, E! Online
Josh Grossberg
The big stink over Dave Matthews Band's big stink is over.
The jam rockers have agreed to pony up $200,000 to an
environmental fund to settle a lawsuit brought by the Illinois attorney
general in connection with a band bus driver dumping 800 pounds of
liquid human waste from a DMB tour bus into the Chicago River.
On Friday, Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced the state was
dropping its civil suit, which alleged the usually eco-friendly rockers
violated environmental regulations and public nuisance laws.
"This settlement is reasonable and appropriate given the public and
environmental health threats caused by this foul incident," Madigan told
the Associated Press.
The "foul incident" occurred on Aug. 8.
The band was in town for a gig, and bus driver Stefan A. Wohl pulled up
alongside a metal grating on the Kedzie Bridge and emptied the vehicle's
septic tank. The was rained down on passing tour boat, showering as
many as 100 passengers with feces.
The "Crash Into Me" band
was not on the bus when the incident took place, but immediately took
responsibility after an investigation revealed that Wohl was the
culprit.
The $200,000 donation will go towards state programs
focusing on environmental protection and education, according to a
spokesman for the attorney general's office. The band also agreed to
maintain record of each time one of its buses empties its septic tank
over the next five years.
Melisssa Merz, a spokeswoman for
the attorney general's office, told reporters outside the courtroom that
the hefty settlement will serve "as a deterrent to other bands that
might think it's okay todump 800 pounds of human waste on Illinois
citizens and tourists."
DMB attorney John Burke noted that
even though none of the band members were involved, they are "doing all
the right things to ensure this is never repeated."
The
$200,000 is in addition to the $50,000 Matthews and his mates donated in
October to each of two local conservation groups, Friends of the
Chicago River and the Chicago Park District.
Wohl, who
piloted the bus for DMB violinist Boyd Tinsley, pleaded guilty in March
to charges of reckless conduct and discharging contaminants to cause
water pollution. The 42-year-old driver was sentenced to 18 months'
probation, 250 hours of community service and a $10,000 fine.
Burke added that the band is also trying to reach a settlement in a
separate federal lawsuit, as well as three private civil suits filed by
tainted tourists.
Among the litigants is Mercury Skyline Yacht
Charters, owners of Chicago's Little Lady--the tour boat that
took the brunt of the falling waste and required extensive disinfecting
in the wake of the incident. The company is seeking between $50,000 and
$5 million in damages in lost business.
Hearings on the civil
suits are expected later this year.
In other DMB news, the
quintet is teaming up with Ben & Jerry's--the makers of the DMB-inspired
One Sweet Whirled ice cream--for a new confectionary treat, Dave
Matthews Band Magic Brownies. The raspberry-filled ice cream contains
legal doses of brownie swirls. No word whether it'll sell in Chicago.
The band is also gearing up for another whirlwind summer tour
in support of its latest album, Stand Up, that will take them
back to Chi-Town on June 2. (Wonder if they'll play "Don't Drink the
Water"?)
The band also plan to headline a special two-night
concert festival at New York City's Randall's Island on July 30 and 31
that will feature such acts as Robert Randolph and the Family Band,
Black Eyed Peas and the Barenaked Ladies.
But don't look for
Wohl to be driving DMB to the gig. He's been, ahem, dumped.
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