That's the beauty of the empty chair theory...Franklin J - OW/SalesJune 9, 2006 at 14:06:58Whether Aquazone would have had to pay in a jury trial is probably 50/50. But the plaintiff had to sue everyone involved because if they left someone out, the
others could blame them and they would not be there to defend themselves and they would lose the lawsuit, (the empty chair).
By offering a settlement they ALL get to deny any wrong doing and all they have to say is they felt it was the right thing to do to give the family the money. Its much better from a PR standpoint to settle and make it go away and get to deny guilt than to go through a trial where all the facts are presented, even though you might be found not guilty. Because its all public record after the trial. | 
