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    Fourth Filmmaker Pleads Not Guilty In Fatal Allman Movie Train Crash

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments2478 Views
    Director Randall Miller (l) takes the stand during a May 2014 hearing on the fatal Georgia train crash during the production of "Midnight Rider." (AP Photo/Stephen Morton)

    By Russ Bynum

    SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) --

    A fourth filmmaker has been charged with crimes stemming from a train collision in southeast Georgia that killed a crew member during shooting of a biographical movie about singer Gregg Allman.

    Hillary Schwartz, an assistant director on the film "Midnight Rider," pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespassing in Wayne County Superior Court. She was indicted earlier in September on the same charges brought in July against director Randall Miller; his wife and business partner, Jody Savin; and the movie's executive producer, Jay Sedrish.

    A court clerk, Betty Taylor, confirmed Schwartz's plea. She also said Judge Anthony Harrison set a tentative trial date of March 9 for all four defendants.

    Production on the movie, based on the life of the Allman Brothers Band singer, had just begun when a freight train plowed into the film crew Feb. 20 on a railroad bridge spanning the Altamaha River in rural Wayne County. The collision killed Sarah Elizabeth Jones, a 27-year-old camera assistant from Atlanta, and injured six other crew members.

    CSX Transportation, which owns the tracks, said in court filings it twice denied the filmmakers' requests to film on the train trestle, each time in writing. Sheriff's investigators have said the crew had permission to be on property surrounding the tracks that is owned by forest products company Rayonier.

    Matthew P. Stone, an attorney for Schwartz in lawsuits filed since the crash, said through a spokeswoman he is not representing her in the criminal case. He did not name any other attorney's representing Schwartz.

    In a prepared statement July 17, Miller and Savin said the crash and Jones' death "will haunt us forever" and insisted that "we would never knowingly or intentionally put anybody's safety at risk."

    Involuntary manslaughter is a felony carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison under Georgia law. Criminal trespass is a misdemeanor punishable by no more than a year in prison.

    Production on "Midnight Rider" was halted after the crash. Allman filed a civil lawsuit against Miller and Savin seeking to prevent them from restarting the project. They settled out of court without disclosing the terms.

    Category:News
    Tags:Gregg AllmanRandall MillerSarah Jones



    A Closer Look At Proposed Measures Designed To Curb Google’s Search Monopoly

    Thursday, November 21, 2024

    U.S. regulators are proposing aggressive measures to restore competition to the online search market after a federal judge ruled Google maintained an illegal monopoly for the last decade.

    The sweeping set of recommendations filed late Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice could radically alter Google's business, including possibly spinning off the Chrome web browser and syndicating its search data to competitors. Even if the courts adopt the blueprint, Google isn't likely to make any significant changes until 2026 at the earliest, because of the legal system's slow-moving wheels.

    Here's what it all means:

    What is the Justice Department's goal?
    Federal prosecutors are cracking down on Google in a case originally filed during near the end of then-President Donald Trump's first term. Officials say the main goal of these proposals is to get Google to stop leveraging its dominant search engine to illegally squelch competition and stifle innovation.

    "The playing field is not level because of Google's conduct, and Google's quality reflects the ill-gotten gains of an advantage illegally acquired," the Justice Department asserted in its recommendations. "The remedy must close this gap and deprive Google of these advantages."

    Not surprisingly, Google sees things much differently. The Justice Department's "wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court's decision," Kent Walker, Google's chief legal officer, asserted in a blog post. "It would break a range of Google products — even beyond search — that people love and find helpful in their everyday lives."

    It's still possible that the Justice Department could ease off on its attempts to break up Google, especially if President-elect Donald Trump... Read More

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