Hoy newspaper reports that the parents of one of the workers who died in the toppling of the Palacio del Cine under construction in Santiago have presented a legal claim for RD$50 million in damages to the builder and the owner. Their 20 year old son, laborer Paulino Martinez Toribio and six other persons died when the building collapsed on Saturday, 28 April. The family Hernandez Veras also announced it would sue Burger King, the owner of the building, Gustavo Turull and engineer Horacio Alvarez for RD$50 million for psychological damage to a mother and her two children who were purchasing a burger when a mass of concrete fell from above. Burger King is located next door to the toppled building. Meanwhile, Carlos Manuel Estrella, commentator for the Listin Diario, says in a recent column that the Dominican Penal Code does not contain a penalty for owners or builders of buildings that collapse. He explained that they most likely will not have to face criminal charges. Civil responsibility is another matter but the case could go on for years.
