Because Asiana Flight 214 was international, lawsuits against the responsible airline are governed by the Montreal Convention. The Montreal Convention strictly limits where a passenger may bring suit. To bring suit against an airline in a U.S. court, the injured passenger must be a U.S. resident, the passenger’s ticket must have been issued in

Other countries severely limit the compensation that may be awarded in lawsuits arising from airline accidents. For example, many other countries do not allow families to be compensated for loss of a loved one’s "care, comfort, and society."  Or for "pain and suffering."  That’s why in almost all situations the best venue for an Asiana Airlines

A jury in Washington state handed down a $26 million verdict against Avco Lycoming as a result of a fatal Cessna 172 crash that killed three people in 2008.  The  jury’s award included $6 million in punitive damages, designed to punish Lycoming for consciously disregarding the safety of the flying public.

It’s the second time a jury has

The American Association for Justice’s Annual Convention begins today at the Vancouver Convention Centre.  The program for aviation lawyers will be held on Monday, July 12.  The schedule: Vancouver

8:30 – 11:45, Room 215-216:

Speakers will be

Mike Danko – Aviation Litigation Forecast

Ricardo Martinez-Cid – International Commercial Airplane Crashes

Ladd Sanger – Aviation Deposition and Trial Skills

Other countries severely limit compensation that may be awarded in wrongful death lawsuits arising from airline accidents.  For example, many other countries do not allow families to be compensated for loss of a loved one’s "care, comfort, or society."  As a result, in almost all situations, the best venue for a family’s lawsuit against an airline

In the early stages of a lawsuit, it is often unclear which of two different defendants is responsible for an aviation accident.  But as the case progresses, evidence may point to one defendant over another.  When that happens, it may seem like a good idea for the victim to settle with (or dismiss from the lawsuit) the defendant whose

I blogged about Scene Systems’ animation of Flight 1549’s landing in the Hudson here back in March.  Great effort, but I noted that it would take hundreds more hours of work before it could be used in court.  That’s because it did not appear that the animation accounted for and synchronized all the available data

The families of Michael and Anne Harris, the American couple on board Air France Flight 447, filed suit this week in Houston federal court.  It’s the first lawsuit arising from the crash. The most frequently asked questions about this suit are:

Question:  Aren’t the families jumping the gun?  The Air France Fuselage Recoveryblack boxes haven’t yet been recovered, and may never be.  For

What happens to the wreckage after an airplane accident? Who gets access to it? What does the aviation accident attorney need to do to make sure it is properly preserved?
 
Here’s what happens: 
 
1. The National Transportation Safety Board Secures the Wreckage on Site. The wreckage usually remains at the site of the aircraft accident

An aviation insurance company must fairly compensate those injured due to the negligence of one of its policy holders.  Of course, in most cases, the insurance company’s  financial responsibility is limited to the dollar limits of the insurance policy. 

But not always. 

When an insurance company unreasonably forces an aviation accident victim to take his case to trial instead