[JURIST] An appeals court in Italy on Monday overturned a 2012 conviction [JURIST report] of manslaughter against six scientists and a government official for being negligent in their evaluation of the dangers posed by a 2009 earthquake [NYT report] that killed more than 300 people in the town of L’Aquila. Judge Fabrizia Ida Francabandera said [Reuters report] that no crime had been committed and that “there was no case to answer.” The case had drawn global criticism from scientists, specifically geologists, who claimed that the risk of being prosecution for incorrect predictions could deter scientists from assisting governments in earthquake preparation and even working to assess potential risks. Stefano Gresta [official profile, resume], president of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology [official website], welcomed the ruling [BBC report], saying it restored the credibility of the scientific community.

Italy is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in Europe and endures continual criticism related to its disaster preparedness. The ancient town of L’Aquila was struck [BBC report] by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake at 3:32AM on April 6, 2009. It damaged [Corriere della Sera report, in Italian] or completely destroyed tens of thousands of buildings, injured more than 1,000 people, and killed 308. After the seven men met days before the massive quake and assured residents that they were in no serious danger, Judge Marco Billi found that the men had committed malpractice when they understated the risks facing the ancient town, which was filled with fragile buildings and had been partially ravaged by earthquakes on three prior occasions. The most recent major earthquake occurred in May 2012 [BBC report] when a series of tremors reaching a 5.8 magnitude killed 16 people and injured hundreds of others in the Emilia Romagna region.