A judge will decide if the owners of a New Zealand volcano where 22 died were unjustly convicted

Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A judge in New Zealand will decide whether the owners of an island volcano suffered a miscarriage of justice when their company was convicted of failing to keep visitors safe following an eruption that killed 22 people in 2019. The company Whakaari Management, run by the island’s owners, was ordered in March to pay millions of dollars in fines and restitutions to the victims of the eruption, who were mostly U.S. and Australian cruise ship passengers on a walking tour. Lawyers for the company filed an appeal against the conviction the same month. The appeals judge reserved his decision Thursday.