Italy's L'Aquila Court Overturns Controversial Ruling on Earthquake Victims
The court's decision removes a previous ruling that assigned partial blame to victims of the 2009 earthquake, affecting their compensation.
The Court of Appeal in L'Aquila has annulled a contentious ruling concerning the 309 fatalities of the April 6, 2009 earthquake, which previously assigned partial blame to victims who did not evacuate following the initial tremors.
This ruling resulted in a 30% reduction in compensation awarded to the victims' families.
In a judgment delivered just ahead of the 16th anniversary of the disaster, the appellate court reversed this decision, thereby reinstating the full compensation amounts for the victims' relatives.
In its assessment, the Court of Appeal critiqued the initial ruling for failing to consider the fact that L'Aquila had been experiencing a series of minor to moderate seismic activities for months leading up to the earthquake.
Additionally, the court referenced the ambiguity surrounding a meeting held by the Commission on Major Risks, which had been tasked with addressing the concerns of more than 50,000 anxious residents before the earthquake.
The meeting has been described as a mere media event by Guido Bertolaso, the former head of the Civil Protection Department, who expressed surprise at being recorded discussing the meeting's lack of substance.
The appellate court characterized the original decision's assignment of culpability to victims as misguided, indicating that the initial judge's claim that remaining in the building constituted "objectively imprudent" behavior was unfounded.
The court stated that the judge had not sufficiently evaluated the specific circumstances of the case, nor had they adequately applied relevant legal principles to justify their conclusions regarding the victims' conduct.
As part of the revised ruling, the court ordered several ministries and the heirs of the Del Beato family to pay substantial sums to various claimants.
This included 332,435 euros to Ferdinando Verzilli and Olga D'Eusanio, 137,538 euros to Gianfranco Verzilli, and 340,257 euros to Maria Grazia Piccinini.
Additionally, the ruling established total compensation amounts for other claimants, including 422,435 euros for Antonia De Berardinins and 232,632 euros for Maurizio Guercioni, while confirming previously paid sums without the earlier 30% reduction applied.
This ruling resulted in a 30% reduction in compensation awarded to the victims' families.
In a judgment delivered just ahead of the 16th anniversary of the disaster, the appellate court reversed this decision, thereby reinstating the full compensation amounts for the victims' relatives.
In its assessment, the Court of Appeal critiqued the initial ruling for failing to consider the fact that L'Aquila had been experiencing a series of minor to moderate seismic activities for months leading up to the earthquake.
Additionally, the court referenced the ambiguity surrounding a meeting held by the Commission on Major Risks, which had been tasked with addressing the concerns of more than 50,000 anxious residents before the earthquake.
The meeting has been described as a mere media event by Guido Bertolaso, the former head of the Civil Protection Department, who expressed surprise at being recorded discussing the meeting's lack of substance.
The appellate court characterized the original decision's assignment of culpability to victims as misguided, indicating that the initial judge's claim that remaining in the building constituted "objectively imprudent" behavior was unfounded.
The court stated that the judge had not sufficiently evaluated the specific circumstances of the case, nor had they adequately applied relevant legal principles to justify their conclusions regarding the victims' conduct.
As part of the revised ruling, the court ordered several ministries and the heirs of the Del Beato family to pay substantial sums to various claimants.
This included 332,435 euros to Ferdinando Verzilli and Olga D'Eusanio, 137,538 euros to Gianfranco Verzilli, and 340,257 euros to Maria Grazia Piccinini.
Additionally, the ruling established total compensation amounts for other claimants, including 422,435 euros for Antonia De Berardinins and 232,632 euros for Maurizio Guercioni, while confirming previously paid sums without the earlier 30% reduction applied.
Translation:
Translated by AI
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