Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
Two men involved in operating the Ghost Ship venue in Oakland have pled no-contest to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter. The fire in the converted warehouse on December 2, 2016 killed 36 people.
Derick Almena, 48 and Max Harris, 28, appeared in Alameda County Superior Court yesterday and were given prison sentences by Judge Morris Jacobson. Almena, who rented the venue, agreed to a nine-year sentence followed by three years of mandatory supervised release while Harris, who helped manage the venue, agreed to a six-year sentence with four years of mandatory supervision.
The plea agreement avoids the need for what likely would have been a protracted jury trial.
