After nine firefighters died in the Sofa Super Store fire, a donation fund was set up benefit the families of the fallen firemen. And the City of Charleston moved to quickly distribute the funds according to workers' compensation benefits.
Read more stories on this subject in our Sofa Super Store fire topic page.Well some family members of fallen firefighter James "Earl" Drayton are calling foul, because they are family remember and aren't set to receive any of the $4.5 million collected.
And a court said that a legal battle can go ahead. The Post and Courier has the full story on the issue that is chockfull of confusing back-and-forth like this:
"The donations were solicited to benefit the firemen's families, not the workers compensation beneficiaries," Donald Clark, an attorney representing the five Drayton children, said. "Mr. Drayton's children are certainly his family."
Clark said part of the legal argument against the city is that when a fund is created from public contributions, if the trustee does not decide who the beneficiaries should be, then it's up to probate court.
