NO criminal proceedings will be brought over the
[ Berkeley balcony collapse that killed five Irish studentsOpens in new window ]
on working holidays in the US last summer, it has been revealed.
After a nine-month investigation, Nancy O'Malley, District Attorney in Alameda County, near San Francisco, California, found there was insufficient evidence for a manslaughter case.
The DA's office said it could not take a case against any one individual or company.
"This is not a decision that I came to lightly," Ms O'Malley said.
"It is the culmination of months of consultation with my team of attorneys. It follows extensive review of reports, both legal and factual, and numerous meetings with investigators and experts."
In the early hours of June 16, 2015 six students died. Another seven sustained serious injuries.
The five Irish students who died were all from south Dublin - medical students and friends Lorcan Miller and Eimear Walsh; Olivia Burke, who went to school with Eimear; Niccolai Schuster, who was at the same college as Lorcan and Eimear, and his friend from school Eoghan Culligan.
Irish-American Ashley Donohoe, who lived in California and was a cousin of Olivia's, also died.
The students were on J1 working visas for the summer and were among 40 people attending a birthday party when the balcony collapsed.
Ms O'Malley said: "Not a day has passed since the tragedy of June 16 that I have not thought of the victims and their families.
"I am keenly aware of the devastation and injuries each victim and each family suffered and continues to confront. Friends, families and entire communities both in California and in Ireland have been affected by the horror of that day."
Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan said his thoughts were with the families and friends of the those who died.
"My department will carefully consider the details of the District Attorney's findings," he said.
"While the District Attorney's investigation did not find sufficient proof to take separate criminal proceedings, it has shone a vital light on the circumstances and factors that contributed directly and indirectly to the collapse of the balcony.
"This investigation is an important step in a process, the ultimate objective of which is to ensure that a tragedy such as Berkeley never occurs again."
The DA's office made contact with the families of the dead before announcing the decision.
The tragedy struck a 21st birthday party with all the dead and some of the injured having connections to south Dublin.
Initial examinations of the remnants of the balcony showed rot had set into heavy wooden beams.
The DA's office said forensic reports and expert analysis showed water had been trapped in the deck during construction, "leading to eventual and extensive dry rot damage".
"There appear to be many contributory causes of this encapsulation, including the types of material that were used (none of which are prohibited by building code) and the very wet weather Berkeley experienced during the months of construction," it said.
"The responsibility for this failure likely extends to many of the parties involved in the construction or maintenance of the building."
But it cautioned that in order to bring a manslaughter case the DA would have to be satisfied there was "gross or reckless conduct akin to a disregard for human life"
The DA's office said it will support any action against the construction firms by the California Contractors State License Board.
It also said it will collaborate with industry leaders and lawmakers to consider amending building codes and inspection oversight laws so that tragedies like this never occur again.
The balcony collapsed from the fifth storey of the Library Gardens complex in Berkeley.
About 40 people had been in the party in the apartment when the tragedy struck.
Another balcony at the apartment complex was deemed "structurally unsafe" and a "collapse hazard" in the wake of the incident and the owners of the building were ordered to demolish it.
Segue Construction, which built the complex, said at the time it would co-operate fully with any inquiry and expressed condolences to the families and friends of those who died or were injured.
awyers representing families affected by the tragedy said they are continuing to pursue lawsuits over the disaster.
"The civil justice system and the criminal justice system operate independently, and the District Attorney's decision which was announced today in no way hinders or negatively affects the probability of success in the ongoing civil litigation," said Michael Kelly, of Walkup, Melodia, Kelly and Schoenberger in San Francisco.
The lawyer also said it had been widely expected that no criminal action would be launched.
He said complicating factors included the potential for a number of people or companies being responsible over a ten-year period.
"The families and students are grateful to the District Attorney for the time, effort and expense invested in the process of evaluation," Mr Kelly said.
He said the DA's inquiry was thorough and careful.
"Much of the information generated, the facts developed, the witnesses identified and the evidence collected in the criminal investigation will benefit the bereaved families and the injured students as they now prosecute the civil actions that have been filed," he said.
"The prosecution of the civil cases will permit our clients to achieve their primary goals: uncovering the truth, publicly identifying the wrongdoers, and holding accountable those responsible for the damage, loss and suffering they have caused, and bringing about changes to residential construction industry practices that will prevent such a needless tragedy from recurring in the future."
