Dispute halts benefit funds for victims

PROVIDENCE -- Nearly $6,000 raised at a concert to benefit victims of The Station nightclub fire is in a Boston bank account while the Massachusetts attorney general's office reviews a lawsuit disputing who should receive the funds.

The parties involved in the lawsuit now agree that the money should be distributed to all Massachusetts residents affected by the fire. But while the suit is being reviewed, the funds cannot be distributed.

The suit, filed by Arthur "Jamie" Conway, of Pembroke, a 22-year-old freelance pianist who suffered burns and lung damage in the 2003 fire, says the March 8 concert at a Marshfield nightclub was staged to raise money for his medical costs.

But Draw the Line, the Boston-based rock band that headlined the show, said the event was intended to benefit all Massachusetts victims of the Feb. 20 blaze that killed 100 people.