Costa Concordia captain's trial delayed over lawyer strike

The trial for Francesco Schettino, the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise liner that clashed against a rock, was delayed until July 17 over a lawyer's strike in Italy.

Thousands of Italian attorneys are currently participating in an eight-day, nationwide labor strike.

Schettino, 52, is charged with dereliction of duty, multiple counts of manslaughter and with causing a maritime disaster.

The former captain reportedly left the Costa Concordia without overseeing the evacuation after the ship crashed against a rock off the coast of Giglio on Jan. 13, 2012. Thirty two people of multiple nationalities died during the crash.

Schettino's defense will argue that he was not the sole crew member responsible for the disaster, and that the blame should be shared among several officials. His lawyer, Dominico Pepe, said the wanted the trial to determine what really happened on the night of the incident.