We’re finally beginning to see some closure regarding that whole nasty incident from 2003 which involved Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson and his son Justin Zivojinovich. As a result of a lawsuit filed by Zivojinovich, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Naples, Florida, where the incident took place, has agreed to a settlement.

The amount of the settlement was not disclosed and likely will not be, since confidentiality is commonly a condition of these types of settlements. I’m guessing it’s a nice chunk of change considering that Alex Lifeson certainly has the resources to hire the best attorneys, who were probably not willing to settle for peanuts.

On the other hand, the Ritz-Carlton can also afford the best attorneys, but since this is because of their enormous financial resources, parting with a hefty pile of cash probably isn’t going to hurt them very much.

After dragging on for more than five years, it’s good to see some results in this case. Being a Rush fan, and believing that they are probably some of the nicest guys in the rock business, I tend to come down on the side of Lifeson and his son regarding this incident.

Ultimately, it’s impossible for me to know exactly what happened, and only those who were present during the incident, and witnessed it, know the truth of what actually transpired. However, the fact that the Ritz-Carlton agreed to settle might be an indication that the hotel staff over-reacted as Lifeson and his son have claimed.

I’m no lawyer, but the fact that a big hotel chain with very deep pockets was willing to settle the case, suggests to me that they were not too confident about a victory if the case went to trial. I’m sure there are other possibilities as well, but whatever the real reason was behind the decision to settle, I’m happy to see something real finally happen after all this time.