A judge has denied a request for a new trial from the landlord of a Portland building where a fire in 2014 killed six people.
Supreme Court Justice Thomas Warren ruled the building had inadequate means of escape from third-floor rooms at the house.
Landlord Gregory Nisbet’s lawyer had argued that the prosecution was slow to turn over a memo from the state fire marshal detailing the use of windows as secondary escapes in older buildings.
But Assistant Attorney General Bud Ellis, who prosecuted the case, said the judge ultimately decided the memo didn’t make a difference.
“When he went back and looked at it, he said it doesn’t matter. The windows were far too small, whether you’re looking at the older standard that was addressed in the memorandum, or whether you’re looking at the law as it stands now,” he said.
Nisbet was acquitted of six manslaughter charges, but was sentenced to 90 days in jail for a code violation. He plans to appeal the conviction.
