Dive Brief:

• Finger-pointing in the case of a deadly building collapse failed to win points with a Philadelphia jury, who found an architect, the owner of a building under demolition at the time, the Salvation Army and all other defendants liable, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Jurors determined that building owner Richard Basciano, architect and owner's representative Plato Marinakos Jr., contractors Griffin Campbell and Sean Benschop and the charity itself were liable for the Salvation Army building collapse that killed seven and injured 12 others in 2013. Benschop and Campbell were demolishing Basciano's building when it fell onto the Salvation Army's thrift store.
• Although its building was destroyed, the jury found that the Salvation Army bore the lion's share of responsibility (75%) because it ignored warnings that the building next door could collapse.  The jury divvied up the remaining liability between Basciano (5%), his company STB Investments (13%), Marinakos (5%), Campbell (1%) and Benschop (1%).

Dive Insight:

Benschop and Campbell are both serving prison terms for their part in the collapse. The victims' families filed the civil suit after the previous criminal trial. The jury will apportion as-of-yet undecided damages according to the liability they assigned.

Testimony during the trial alleged that Marinakos should have known better than to hire the inexperienced Campbell and that he did not issue any warning to neighbors, or even tell Basciano, about dangerous conditions he observed. Marinakos testified against Campbell in exchange for immunity from criminal prosecution, but, at the time, Campbell said Marinakos should be held responsible because he supervised the demolition and directed work crews. Before the collapse, Campbell reportedly removed joists and support beams in order to sell them, and Benschop, whose arm was in a cast while he was operating demolition equipment, admitted to taking Percocet and smoking marijuana that day.

In 2013, the city of Philadelphia's policy was to issue demolition permits without requiring plans or contractor qualification information. Since the collapse, the city has implemented stricter requirements for its demolition application process.