Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles Ordered to Testify in Indiana State Fair Case

Next month, Sugarland‘s Jennifer Nettles will return to Indiana to give a deposition for lawsuits stemming from the stage collapse that killed several people before last August’s concert at the Indiana State Fair. The AP reports that a judge ordered attorneys to find a suitable date to meet in court between April 1 and April 15.

As previously reported, a hearing was held early Friday afternoon (March 23) to decide whether or not Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush would have to give depositions. Attorneys for Mid-America Sound Corp., the company that built the stage, hoped to begin the depositions on Monday (March 26), but Judge Theodore Sosin approved a request to reject that timeline after Sugarland’s attorneys stepped in to request a protective order. The band had proposed holding court in May.

Additionally, Sosin decided only Nettles would need to testify in front of the court. The band has long stated that they’re not at fault for the August 13 tragedy, during which heavy winds took down the light and sound rigging and the roof over the stage at the Indiana State Fair grounds. Seven people were killed and 58 were injured when it collapsed. The group is named in a number of lawsuits, as many claim it was their contractual responsibility to call off the show due to inclement weather.

Sugarland’s In Your Hands Tour begins on April 5, with shows in Ohio, Ontario and Kentucky before April 15.