Idiots for the day

Dana DiFilippo has an article at Philly.com about recent deadly stupidity by the Salvation Army:

Instead of heeding written warnings of a potentially catastrophic collapse, the Salvation Army played "a dangerous game of chicken" with the owner of a building being demolished next door, an attorney said yesterday. The collapse on 5 June 2013 killed six and injured fourteen who were inside the Salvation Army's thrift shop at 22nd and Market in Philadelphia. So attorney Robert Mongeluzzi, citing emails among the city, the demolition-site owner, and the Salvation Army that showed the charity was warned of dangerous conditions, said yesterday that he would add the Salvation Army as a defendant in litigation seeking civil damages. STB Investments, the firm that owned the demolition site, "and the Salvation Army were playing a dangerous game of chicken, hurtling toward demolishing the building without a proper plan in place, neither of them willing to blink," Mongeluzzi, who represents seven victims, said during a morning news conference. "Those six Philadelphians paid the price." Attorneys for the Salvation Army couldn't be reached for comment. Mongeluzzi's complaint is among eleven civil actions stemming from the collapse, according to attorney Theodore M. Schaer, who is defending Griffin Campbell, the contractor whose demolition crew stands accused of causing the collapse.
Schaer asked a judge recently to halt civil lawsuits seeking damages for victims until a grand jury decides Campbell's criminal liability. Testifying in civil proceedings could imperil Campbell's Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, Schaer argued. Mongeluzzi filed a counter-motion yesterday, imploring a judge to let the case proceed. "One of the first things I learned in law school is justice delayed is justice denied," Mongeluzzi said. "The victims, survivors, and the families of those who were killed want this to proceed. They want their day in court. They don't want it five or six years from now. They want a swift and speedy resolution." Besides, Mongeluzzi said, defendant Richard Basciano, STB's principal owner, "is 87 years old. If he were to be found responsible, he should be obligated to pay". Even without a delay, Mongeluzzi said, the case likely won't go to trial for another two years.

Rico says that, like any good attorney, Mongeluzzi is going for the deep pockets...