Dive Brief:

• A Philadelphia civil court judge will soon determine whether architect Plato Marinakos Jr., who was overseeing the demolition of a building that collapsed onto a Philadelphia Salvation Army store in 2013, was an independent contractor or the building owner's representative, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
• If the court determines that Marinakos was a de facto employee when the collapse occurred, civil liability could then be extended to Marinakos, as well as to demolished-building owner Richard Basciano and his company STB Investments Corp.
• Contractors Griffin Campbell and Sean Benschop were convicted and are now serving time in prison for the collapse that killed six people and injured 13 others. Marinakos testified against the two in exchange for immunity against criminal prosecution.

Dive Insight:

Attorneys for the families of those killed and injured allege that Marinakos, while serving as the owner's representative, hired Campbell to perform the complicated and delicate demolition and approved payments to him, even though Campbell was unlicensed and inexperienced.

During Campbell's criminal trial, prosecutors said that he removed and sold the building's support beams and joists while its four-story walls were still standing. Benschop, who was operating demolition equipment with a cast on his arm at the time of the collapse, admitted to taking Percocet and marijuana that day and did not heed warnings about using machinery to demolish the unsupported brick wall, which collapsed onto the Salvation Army store.

Campbell testified that Marinakos "called the shots" on the project and said he should share in the responsibility. According to the plaintiffs' attorneys in the civil suit, STB sent an email to the Salvation Army prior to the collapse warning them of the danger of opening the store while the wall stood in such precarious conditions.

In 2013, the city of Philadelphia issued demolition permits without requiring the submission of plans or information about contractor qualifications. Since the accident, the city has tightened up requirements for the demolition application process.