The owners of an island volcano in New Zealand where 22 tourists and local guides died in an eruption had their criminal conviction for failing to keep visitors safe thrown out by a judge on Friday.

Justice Simon Moore ruled they didn’t manage or control ... After the judge-alone trial in the Auckland District Court in 2023, Judge Evangelos Thomas found Whakaari Management guilty on one ...

In Friday’s written ruling, Justice Simon Moore ruled the company did not have a duty under the relevant law to ensure that the walking tour workplace was without risks to health and safety.

The brothers appealed their convictions in a hearing last October at the High Court in Auckland ... In Friday's written ruling, Justice Simon Moore ruled the company did not have a duty under ...

The owners of a New Zealand volcano island where 22 tourists and local guides died in an eruption have had their criminal ...

The owners of a New Zealand island volcano that erupted and killed 22 people in 2019 are no longer being held responsible for the tragedy. A judge on Friday threw out the conviction against Whakaari ...

The ruling absolves the company from paying millions of dollars in restitution to the families of those who died.

In Friday’s written ruling, Justice Simon Moore ruled the company did not have a duty under the relevant law to ensure that the walking tour workplace was without risks to health and safety.