From: Jed Rothwell
* Essentially, Feynman's dramatic misdeed at the original the SoCal Papp demo where there was a fatality in which Feynman was held responsible . . . I assume you mean he should have been held responsible. He wasn't, as far as I know. AFAIK he assumed civil responsibility to avoid criminal charges. Cal Tech picked up the full tab for Feynman so that no criminal charges would be filed - and the proceedings were kept under a court-ordered gag. Even with best intentions, there is an unintentional homicide charge that can be used at the discretion of the Stat, depending on culpability. This is often called Involuntary or Reckless Manslaughter. Feynman did take the risk of "pulling the plug" even when Papp shouted for him not to do it. Was that reckless or not? If you are the Widow of the deceased, it is reckless. Even if you are a Nobel winning scientist, then everyone is probably better off for you (or your sponsor) to compensate her financially.
