Just read that the Italian Court handed several scientists a manslaughter verdict. The October 12 issue of SCIENCE had a long article about this. This case wasn't as simple as the news media make out--these guys were not charged with "Failing to Predict" a quake. It seems to me (from my reading) that they were unreasonably reassuring about the likelihood that there would be a quake, and many people stayed in buildings that they knew were unsafe due to reassurances. It wasn't "failing to predict" it was giving reassurances that created an atmosphere of false security.

OK...much more complicated than that. In my view from reading the Science article, seems that a lot of these guys were guilty of carelessness in what they said at various different times. One scientist who had predicted that the quake would occur with near certainty before 2015 seemed to forget that he ever wrote that and was quoted as saying he didn't think anything larger than the occurring swarm would happen.

A scientist not affiliated with the prosecuted group was actually arrested before the quake for advising that he thought a quake would occur, and frightening people. GO FIGURE.

However, this is a chilling idea for all scientists. We must stress that Earthquake Prediction is inexact at the very best, and that the only current rational thing to do is make buildings and other structures safer.