Alaska Airlines Flight 694 (Ginena)
Scored a defense verdict for Alaska Airlines in a case brought by a group of first-class passengers who were removed from Alaska Airlines Flight 694 on September 20, 2003. The flight was headed from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Las Vegas but diverted to Reno in order to remove the passengers. We obtained summary judgment of several claims based on the Warsaw Convention, but the remaining claims proceeded to trial. After a three-week trial, the jury of seven returned a unanimous defense verdict on all counts.
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Cessna Caravan 208 Icing Accidents
Representing Cessna Aircraft Company as national coordinating counsel in individual personal injury and wrongful death cases pending in various jurisdictions in the United States arising from accidents involving Cessna Caravan 208 aircraft flown in alleged icing conditions.
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Gol Airlines Flight 1907 Litigation
Represented Honeywell International Inc. in a lawsuit involving a mid-air collision between a Boeing 737-800, operated as Gol Airlines Flight 1907, and an Embraer Legacy 600, operated by ExcelAire Services, over the Amazon jungle, Brazil, on September 29, 2006. The accident resulted in the deaths of 154 passengers and crewmembers. Cases were brought in seven different districts, and we were successful in obtaining consolidation of the cases for MDL treatment in the Eastern District of New York. In late July 2008, the motion to dismiss the cases to Brazil for forum non conveniens was granted. The Brazilian carrier is settling the cases with claimants in Brazil. On appeal, the District Court's dismissal of the consolidated actions was affirmed by the Second Circuit. A four week international arbitration conducted in London under the law of England and Wales before a three member tribunal then followed to apportion liability for the accident among certain defendants. The arbitration resulted in a finding Honeywell was without fault for the accident and an award of costs against certain defendants in favor of Honeywell.
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Chinook Helicopter Crash off Greece (In re Greek Chinook)
Represented Honeywell International Inc. in litigation arising from the crash of a Boeing Chinook helicopter off the coast of Greece in the Aegean Sea on September 11, 2004. The accident claimed the lives of the 17 passengers and crew on board the helicopter. This litigation involved multiple international jurisdictions, Death on High Seas Act (DOHSA), and a difficult causation investigation. We defended claims involving alleged defects in the helicopter’s engines, FADEC and AFCS. The lawsuits filed in the Greek courts in Chalkidiki, where the accident occurred, were settled. The remaining cases were filed in the U.S. and consolidated in federal court in Philadelphia. Those cases were also settled on terms favorable to the client.
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Learjet 60 Crash
Represented a component manufacturer in six consolidated cases involving the crash of a Learjet on September 19, 2008, as well as separate action in Columbia, South Carolina, brought by the operator for the hull loss and loss of use. The plaintiffs include former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and celebrity disc jockey DJ AM, who both survived the crash but were critically injured. The two pilots and other two passengers were killed. The plane was headed for Van Nuys, California. The cases were filed in Los Angeles, California. The cases settled on terms favorable to our client.
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Chinook Helicopter Crash in Afghanistan (Getz v. Honeywell)
Obtained summary judgment based on the government contract defense for Honeywell International Inc. in litigation arising from the crash of an Army special operations Chinook in Afghanistan on February 17, 2007. Eight people died and 14 were injured when the special operations Chinook crashed while returning from a mission pursuing a member of Al Qaeda. In August 2011, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the decision ruling that Honeywell and the other government contractor defendants were not liable for the crash.
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