By evening the legal and engineering teams assembled with the studio engineer in the engineering firm’s office. Their IT personnel had just finished setting up a connection to the law firm’s computer network so the lawyers could work in that room. It was thought the engineers would be more effective in their own office, close to their support staff and it was closer to the studio than the law office. Food was brought in. The game plan was pathetically simple. Shift the blame. Come up with a winning strategy now and hit the opposition now with it. The studio expected the movie to be less than perfect and they may not make as much money on it as expected. They wanted this settled quietly without bad press.

The lists on the board were growing.

1. Pipe joint failure (who made it, installed, inspected, serviced, why)
2. Pump failure (who made it, installed, inspected, serviced, why did it fail, what is its expected life)
3. Cooling unit modification (who designed, made, approved, inspected)
4. OK to continue running without the pump from manufacturer (who)
5. Design of the unit Why was the joint exposed to people? Why didn’t the joint have shield between it and the compartment? Does another manufacturer shield?
6. Operator-owner Failure to check joints, failure to check pumps, failure to check pump was running.
7. Design No alarm for pump failure, no pressure gauge for the operator, no temp gauge for the operator, no oil high temp shutoff.
8. Electrical power an issue?

Possible Caveats For The Studio

1. Operated the unit outside specifications (consulted with mfgr.)
2. Provided electrical power.

Costs To The Studio

1. Reduced value of the film. (3 million)
2. Compensation claims by the performers (mega bucks best guess 400m)

The lawyer smiled as he looked on. There was a lot of blame to spread around and little that could be pushed back on the studio. If it were not for the possible compensation claims by the performers he would suggest they eat the three million and forget it. But the injuries to the performers were horrific and they were people with great earning potential. One thing that concerned him, they could easily go to court and win large settlements. The size of the settlement would depend on the plaintiff’s lawyer who would certainly include the studio as a defendant in any litigation. The studio had deep pockets, the lawyer would attempt to put his hand in them.