Charges against two booking agents accused of health and safety failings in the Whakaari / White Island trial have been dismissed.
The companies, ID Tours and Tauranga Tourism Services, had been accused of not providing detailed, up to date health and safety information about tours to Whakaari, to cruise liner Royal Caribbean.
The Judge, Evangelos Thomas, says the two companies were only liable for their own workers and workplaces.
Neither company operated on Whakaari.
Simon Schofield from Auckland University's faculty of law says because the tourist operators didn't have any workers on the island, it wasn't a workplace, the judge ruled that therefore they shouldn't be liable.
Schofield spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.
