How Much Time Does Doug
How much time does Doug Roberts and Duncan serve for murdering all those innocent people? They're also guilty.
shareActually, there is no apparent criminal guilt involved here.
Roberts specified the kind of wiring required for a building this size. Legally, as the architect it's not his job to make sure that the specs he submitted are actually installed. He may have had a moral responsibility (as he himself says) but he did nothing illegal.
Even Duncan should be clear of any criminal responsibility. Although he cut back on Doug's specs, as we hear repeatedly he remained within the building code, and everything in the place was inspected and approved. Duncan can't be held criminally liable for obeying the law. If the codes are inadequate or too lax, that's not his fault.
Now, I suppose the San Francisco D.A. might try to pursue a criminal case, but it would be tough to prove, especially against Roberts. Anyway, it wouldn't be murder -- at most, probably criminally negligent manslaughter.
Civil liability, on the other hand, is a whole other thing. The families of all those killed, not to mention everyone who survived, would certainly sue for damages and given the evidence would almost surely prevail. Given the predilection of people today to sue everyone for everything, Roberts would probably be included in at least some suits, but the real target would be Duncan, and I see no way he'd get out of this. Cutting back Doug's specs to a dangerously inadequate (even if technically legal) level leaves him open to hundreds of cases of civil liability. No jail time, but he and Duncan Enterprises would almost certainly be bankrupted.
Doug specifically detailed that the wiring should be far above regulation due to the size of the building. He'd been out of the country during construction, so there was really nothing he could've done. What's more, the architect isn't responsible for the day-to-day construction. He put his wiring specifications down. It was not his fault that the wiring contractor changed them.
As for Duncan, I got the feeling that even though he cut costs he hadn't known the wiring specifications were changed. When he learns about the fire, he calls Roger aside and asks if Roger did that. When Roger affirms he did, Duncan is clearly surprised and angry.
It was Roger who said that every piece of wire was up to code.
As well, both Doug and Duncan clearly acted courageously to try and evacuate the building safely (albeit Duncan was later to be convinced of the need). That would likely but both of them some good graces with the D.A.'s office.
Actually, it is Roger's company that would sustain the brunt of the investigations. He was the electrical contractor. He was the one who changed the wiring specifications without consulting either Duncan or Roberts.
Lawyers for Doug and Duncan would surely make a case against Roger. They'd question his project managers and uncover it was Roger who ordered the changes.
It was Roger who said that every piece of wire was up to code.
Yes, but the crucial part comes right after, when Roger tells Doug that every piece of wiring has been "inspected and approved". The pertinent point is that not long after, when Doug goes back to the Tower and tells Giddings that Simmons had certainly changed the specs, Giddings exclaims, "Um-hmm. Payoffs and kickbacks, that's the only way he could have swung it." Whether his materials were technically within the code or not, Simmons bribed inspectors to okay the building, which implies it would otherwise not have passed inspection.
It wouldn't take much of an investigation to uncover the fact that it was Simmons who changed the specs and made payoffs and bribes to inspectors to have the building certified for occupancy. But since Simmons was dead, nothing could be done against him anyway. That would also remove him as a possible scapegoat for Duncan or Roberts at any trial; with Simmons dead, jurors would look for other heads to roll.
Now, in their argument in the dining room during a lull in the action, Duncan tries to defend himself to Doug by arguing that he was free to make decisions about what he called "alternate building materials", adding, "If I remain within the building code, and goddammit, I did!" Doug then accuses him of a cop-out, but the cumulative evidence is that while Duncan did make changes (Simmons challenges him about this during the evacuation: "Where did you save the other four million in Doug's original budget?"), it was Simmons who made the most hazardous changes and then paid bribes to have them passed. But you could make a strong argument that Duncan, as the responsible corporate officer, was ultimately criminally as well as civilly liable for the decisions and actions of his subordinates, even if he didn't know about them.
I doubt the D.A. would cut Duncan or Roberts much slack because of their heroism in trying to evacuate the building. At best this might be a slightly mitigating factor during sentencing, but not in deciding whether to prosecute.
It's interesting that in the film there is no hint of any such legal issues to come, which even in 1974 would seem obvious. But the reason for letting them off in the film is obvious: for dramatic purposes, the key people -- the architect and the builder -- have not only to survive but be able to continue their work...which means no lawsuits or jail time. As Duncan says, "All I can do is pray to God I can stop anything like this from ever happening again." Having learned their lessons, they were now in a position to fix such problems in the future and save lives, something they can only do if they're free and still in business. This is also why Chief O'Halloran survives -- he's the guy who tells Doug, "You know where to reach me" to find out what he has to do to make his buildings safer. share
The wiring likely HAD been inspected and approved. However, I feel the crucial fact is that the wiring simply hadn't been designed for a building that size.
If the wiring had been used on a regular sized building (i.e. an average sized hi-rise) it would probably have worked without a hitch. The Glass Tower's electrical use was simply far, far higher than normal and beyond what they wiring could handle. Roberts realized this, which is why he'd specified such an exceedingly high grade of wire. Simmons didn't appreciate this fact or perhaps figured that the risk was low enough to justify it. Duncan didn't know about it and -from his reaction- likely would've put his foot down if he'd known.