Legal Blame Game: State and Municipal Accountability in the Kiss Nightclub Fire
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Abstract
This article examines the civil implications of the 2013 Kiss Nightclub fire. It draws from six extensive lawsuits filed by survivors and their relatives against the State of Rio Grande do Sul, and the City of Santa Maria. The Civil Court of Santa Maria issued low indemnities and exempted both the state and the municipality from liability. Plaintiffs filed appeals which led the state court to extend the liability to the state and the city, while maintaining a low indemnification. This article argues the cooperative form of federalism enshrined in the 1988 Constitution fostered a legal blame game between the state and the city, in which each attributed to the other the duty of keeping city venues safe. This article also argues that low indemnification relates to a narrow interpretation of Brazil’s civil legislation, despite existing precedents, doctrinal understandings, and constitutional principles that could serve as the basis for higher indemnification.
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References
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