A federal lawsuit stemming from a deadly blaze at the Coral River Bed and Breakfast in the Oakdene neighborhood has been settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
Jill Rene Andrews, 25, died in a November 2005 fire that consumed the newly remodeled 1890s-era home.
Her husband, Billy Rae Andrews, 34, was severely injured after he jumped to safety from a second story bedroom.
The couple from Texas was visiting Rome for a romantic getaway.
A suit filed in U.S. District Court by Billy Ray Andrews sought to recoup damages due to the incident.
Tim and Rey Struttmann opened the B&B in a house they bought a year previously. It was, and is again, their plan to renovate the building and then make it their business.
Rey Struttmann said Friday that her insurance company had indicated that the case would be settled soon.
“We have continually kept the Andrews family in our thoughts and prayers,” she said. “We wish them nothing but happiness in the future. We are looking forward to moving on, looking forward to reopening again.”
Mark Webb, with the Rome firm Brinson, Askew, Berry, Richardson, Seigler and Davis, represented Andrews.
“Obviously nothing can eliminate the scarring and hurt from the loss of Jill,” Webb said Friday in a prepared statement “But the avoidance of litigation will certainly assist in bringing closure to the horror of the past.”
