Men appeal compensation ruling following illegal party in bunker in Oslo

Two men were sentenced earlier this year to two years and six months in prison for hosting an illegal party in a bunker in Oslo in 2020. They were also ordered to pay nearly 2.7 million Norwegian kroner in compensation to two young men who suffered brain injuries as a result of the event.

While the men did not appeal their prison sentences, one of them has now filed an appeal against part of the compensation amount, specifically the so-called non-economic damages. There is a longer appeals period for such civil claims compared to the criminal sentence.

The court of appeal had initially ordered the men to pay a total of 250,000 kroner in non-economic damages to the injured parties. The Supreme Court’s appeals committee will now decide whether to accept this appeal.

The lawyer representing the appealing man stated that he wants to challenge the level of the damages awarded. Earlier this year, following the party in Oslo, both men were found to have acted with gross negligence, which led to serious health consequences for attendees. During the party, 26 individuals were hospitalized due to carbon monoxide poisoning from a diesel generator used for sound and lighting.

The court recognized that the circumstances surrounding the case were severe and that while they referred to standard compensation amounts used in other serious cases such as rape, they felt it was appropriate to maintain the award of 250,000 kroner. The defense argues that the precedent for compensation should not derive from more severe cases, such as attempted murder or sexual assault, as those involve more aggravating circumstances.

The Supreme Court’s deliberation on whether to hear the appeal is pending.