Attorney: Contractor in Fatal Christmas Fire Suit Will Appear for Deposition

Michael Borcina, the main contractor working on the home, was supposed to turn over construction documents

Lawyers for the contractor hired to renovate a Stamford, Connecticut, home where three young girls and their grandparents died in a 2011 Christmas Day fire said their client will be available for deposition in a civil case.

Michael Borcina, the main contractor who was working on the home, was supposed to turn over construction documents that could shed light on the fire, NBC News reports, but some attorneys in the case said he is nowhere to be found. 

On Thursday morning, Borcina's attorney, Rob Laney, said his client was never missing and they were able to work out a date for deposition.

"We worked through the issues and we're going to make him available for his deposition. He just sat through three days of testimony and he'll sit for fourth and work the issues out," Laney said.

Borcina is the former boyfriend of Madonna Badger, whose daughters, 9-year-old Lilly and 7-year-old twins Grace and Sarah, and parents, Lomer and Pauline Johnson, were killed in the fire. 

Officials from the city of Stamford said Borcina has knowledge regarding the allegations, which claim the home had become a firetrap as a result of incomplete construction. 

Borcina initially took the blame, saying the fire started after he left a bag of fireplace ashes in a mudroom, but he told attorneys during a lawsuit deposition he had lied to police to protect Badger, The Hartford Courant reported.  

Badger responded to his claim in a statement to the "Today" show, saying, "I feel sorry for him. I feel incredibly sad for him." 

She declined to comment further, citing pending litigation. 

Madonna Badger could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. Matthew Badger's attorney declined to comment on the case.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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