The Court of Appeal outdid itself yesterday. Ruling on the compensation due to the families of the victims of the 2009 Aquila earthquake, the High Court decided to reduce the payouts by 30%, because the fact that people died was their own fault.
This shameful verdict is based on the fact that notwithstanding the fact that the earthquake was a 3 in the morning and people were fast asleep, the judges ruled that the students who died in the collapse of a hall of residence should have woken up and got out of the building before it collapsed. To recap the facts of the case, there had been numerous small shocks in the weeks leading up to the big earthquake, and the Protezione Civile repeatedly said that there was nothing to worry about. It was winter, and many people had already left their houses in pyjamas in sub freezing temperatures on other occasions. The day before the major quake they were told that there was no imminent danger. The Hall of Residence, built to appallingly low standards, collapsed like a house of cards as soon as the major shock started. In view of all of this, the court decided that it was the victims fault. Shame Shame Shame.
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