By Randy McClain | The Tennessean
Country duo Sugarland is caught in a public relations dilemma.
The band must defend itself via attorneys in court against claims of negligence in the Indiana State Fair stage collapse that killed seven people and hurt 58 more last August.
And its public relations team must express sympathy for some of the same people whose families are lining up in a Marion County (Indiana) courthouse to sue the band and others for damages linked to the fatal accident.
So how's Sugarland doing walking that tightrope?
At least one public relations expert in Nashville thinks Sugarland is making the best of a trying situation, despite a dust-up in the past week when the band's attorneys said in a legal filing that injuries to fans trapped as winds toppled an outdoor stage in Indianapolis were at least partly "their own fault."
"It's a classic case of the clash between legal defense and public relations," said John Van Mol, CEO of of DVL Public Relations and Advertising here. "Attorneys for Sugarland have the duty to defend their client by noting all the other entities that might be held liable for a terrible, accidental tragedy.
"The PR team undoubtedly knows the cardinal rule of crisis management that you can't blame the victims. (But) I believe Sugarland wins in the court of public opinion because what they did in response to the tragedy as opposed to what their attorneys said."
Van Mol said the band continues to get high marks for putting on benefit concerts for victims in the wake of the Aug. 13 accident last year.
"Their grief seems genuine, and their actions have included one or more concerts to raise funds for the victims. When you get right down to it, someone is playing a little 'gotcha' by pulling one phrase from the legal defense suggesting that when bad weather hits, people have some responsibility for their own safety," Van Mol said.
The background is this: Several victims filed a lawsuit Nov. 22 in Marion Superior Court in Indiana, claiming that negligence on the part of Sugarland and others contributed to the tragedy.
Sugarland says it is blameless in the stage and rigging collapse at the Indiana State Fair, calling the mishap "an act of God" caused by a surprisingly high gust of wind.
For other opinions on how Sugarland is handling the crisis, check back later today at Tennessean.com.