# I pit Italian justice (for convicting seismologists of manslaughter)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-italian-justice-for-convicting-seismologists-of-manslaughter/638573>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [October 22, 2012, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-italian-justice-for-convicting-seismologists-of-manslaughter/638573 "2012-10-22T22:54:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2012, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-italian-justice-for-convicting-seismologists-of-manslaughter/638573/1 "2012-10-22T22:54:02Z")

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I thought the shenanigans in the Amanda Knox case were almost certainly as ridiculous as the Italian courts could get. I mean, they had upped the ante considerably since the Monster of Florence days and I couldn’t figure that anything could be more ludicrous than a murder conviction based on a cartwheel.

[I was wrong.](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_ITALY_QUAKE_TRIAL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-10-22-17-30-51)

Seven seismologists were convicted of manslaughter for failing to adequately warn people that an earthquake was coming.

> [@](#):
>
> The defendants were accused of giving “inexact, incomplete and contradictory information” about whether small tremors felt by L’Aquila residents in the weeks and months before the April 6, 2009, quake should have been grounds for a warning.

I wish there was a way to enlarge the :rolleyes: smiley to be full page size.

Italian justice is stupid, at least until the first appeal. Is the position of lower court judge just given to people who would otherwise be competing at the [Village Idiots Convention](http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=L5ObycvN3DA&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DL5ObycvN3DA) or what?

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**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2012, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-italian-justice-for-convicting-seismologists-of-manslaughter/638573/2 "2012-10-22T22:59:09Z")

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We done this already. Twiceit.

Reported.

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**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-italian-justice-for-convicting-seismologists-of-manslaughter/638573/3 "2012-10-22T23:02:57Z")

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[Moderating]  
We’ve already got a thread on this, and since there’s no responses to this one (other than the one pointing out that we’ve already got a thread on the subject) I’m closing this one.

Link to other thread: [Italian seismologists charged with manslaughter for not foreseeing L'Aquila earthquake - The BBQ Pit - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=625082)  
[/Moderating]