On July 3, 2018, Almena and Harris each pled no contest to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter.
According to their agreement, Almena was to be sentenced to nine years in prison, and Harris to six.
Some family members of those who died testified and protested the plea deal.
Sentencing was set for August 9.
But on August 10, 2018, the judge in the case threw out the plea deals, stating that Derick Almena failed to accept "full responsibility and remorse".
The judge said that he would have accepted the plea deal for Harris because Harris showed remorse but the plea deal was made with both Almena and Harris.

During the preliminary hearings, building owner Chor Ng was questioned, but invoked her Fifth Amendment right to avoid testifying and the possibility of incriminating herself.
Ng is among a number of parties that are being sued by victims' relatives.
Witnesses described the Ghost Ship warehouse as a "death trap."

Almena and Harris individually faced the possibility of penalties ranging from probation to 36 years in prison if the prosecutor could prove criminal negligence and a unanimous jury found them guilty.
Pending trial, Almena and Harris both remained in jail, unable to pay $750,000 in bail.
Almena's attorney Tony Serra and Harris' attorney Curtis Briggs both said that much of their defense would involve diverting blame to others.

The trial began on April 2, 2019.
Prosecution witnesses testified about the history of violations found over the years.
Almena contradicted their statements, saying all of the city, police and fire officials were lying.
During his testimony, he said a building inspector, a Child Protective Services agent, six members of the fire department, and three police officers had been to the building several times on social occasions and never mentioned any violations.
Almena blamed the landlord for tricking him into renting a building that lacked adequate plumbing or electricity.
Almena and Harris' attorneys claimed that the fire was arson.
They called a witness who said she overheard a group of unidentified men at a taco truck claiming credit for starting the fire.
Former Oakland Fire Marshal Maria Sabatini was called by the prosecution.
She had been one of the principal fire investigators.
She testified that although investigators believed the cause was probably an electrical failure, they could not determine the source because the fire destroyed possible indicators, and that there was no evidence of arson.

Katleen Bouchard, the mother of Nicholas Bouchard who co-signed the lease with Almena, testified that she helped her son with research and plans to develop the artist collective.
She met with her son, Almena and his wife in 2013.
She provided information on how they could obtain permits to upgrade the building and grants to help pay the cost.
She said that Almena "laughed at me" and said he would do things his own way.
Nicholas Bouchard became concerned about the modifications to the building that Almena made, including a 20 x 20 foot hole in the second floor, and distanced himself from the project.

Police officer Moises Palanco visited the building in 2015.
On body cam footage played during the trial, he was heard saying, "It's a huge fireplace in here."

Prosecutors attempted to show that Almena failed to place smoke alarms, emergency exit signs, and fire suppression systems in the building while filling the space with art projects, furniture, sculptures, windows, doors, and salvaged and scavenged used items that made it difficult for the victims to find a way out.
The prosecution showed that all of the victims died of smoke inhalation, not burns.

Almena was asked during his testimony if he had obtained legal permits for the kitchen he installed, for a side door, for the plumbing or electrical work, or the stairs in the front of the building.
Almena said he had  "no permits for anything."
He also said he didn't obtain operational permits for events because he didn't think they were required.

Harris testified that the title of Executive Director he sometimes used was inflated and an attempt
On July 3, 2018, Almena and Harris each pled no contest to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter. According to their agreement, Almena was to be sentenced to nine years in prison, and Harris to six. Some family members of those who died testified and protested the plea deal. Sentencing was set for August 9. But on August 10, 2018, the judge in the case threw out the plea deals, stating that Derick Almena failed to accept "full responsibility and remorse". The judge said that he would have accepted the plea deal for Harris because Harris showed remorse but the plea deal was made with both Almena and Harris.
During the preliminary hearings, building owner Chor Ng was questioned, but invoked her Fifth Amendment right to avoid testifying and the possibility of incriminating herself. Ng is among a number of parties that are being sued by victims' relatives. Witnesses described the Ghost Ship warehouse as a "death trap."
Almena and Harris individually faced the possibility of penalties ranging from probation to 36 years in prison if the prosecutor could prove criminal negligence and a unanimous jury found them guilty. Pending trial, Almena and Harris both remained in jail, unable to pay $750,000 in bail. Almena's attorney Tony Serra and Harris' attorney Curtis Briggs both said that much of their defense would involve diverting blame to others.
The trial began on April 2, 2019. Prosecution witnesses testified about the history of violations found over the years. Almena contradicted their statements, saying all of the city, police and fire officials were lying. During his testimony, he said a building inspector, a Child Protective Services agent, six members of the fire department, and three police officers had been to the building several times on social occasions and never mentioned any violations. Almena blamed the landlord for tricking him into renting a building that lacked adequate plumbing or electricity. Almena and Harris' attorneys claimed that the fire was arson. They called a witness who said she overheard a group of unidentified men at a taco truck claiming credit for starting the fire. Former Oakland Fire Marshal Maria Sabatini was called by the prosecution. She had been one of the principal fire investigators. She testified that although investigators believed the cause was probably an electrical failure, they could not determine the source because the fire destroyed possible indicators, and that there was no evidence of arson.
Katleen Bouchard, the mother of Nicholas Bouchard who co-signed the lease with Almena, testified that she helped her son with research and plans to develop the artist collective. She met with her son, Almena and his wife in 2013. She provided information on how they could obtain permits to upgrade the building and grants to help pay the cost. She said that Almena "laughed at me" and said he would do things his own way. Nicholas Bouchard became concerned about the modifications to the building that Almena made, including a 20 x 20 foot hole in the second floor, and distanced himself from the project.
Police officer Moises Palanco visited the building in 2015. On body cam footage played during the trial, he was heard saying, "It's a huge fireplace in here."
Prosecutors attempted to show that Almena failed to place smoke alarms, emergency exit signs, and fire suppression systems in the building while filling the space with art projects, furniture, sculptures, windows, doors, and salvaged and scavenged used items that made it difficult for the victims to find a way out. The prosecution showed that all of the victims died of smoke inhalation, not burns.
Almena was asked during his testimony if he had obtained legal permits for the kitchen he installed, for a side door, for the plumbing or electrical work, or the stairs in the front of the building. Almena said he had  "no permits for anything." He also said he didn't obtain operational permits for events because he didn't think they were required.
Harris testified that the title of Executive Director he sometimes used was inflated and an attempt 
Ghost Ship warehouse fire