United faces more questions as dragged passenger hires high-powered attorney

[pnwmom]

Last edited Wed Apr 12, 2017, 12:44 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: Chicago Tribune

United Airlines' initial attempt Monday to quell mounting outrage over viral videos of a passenger being dragged from his seat added fuel to the backlash against the airline. So on Tuesday, CEO Oscar Munoz called the event "truly horrific" in a second apology.

But while United was crafting another bid to defuse the situation, the flood of angry comments and memes on social media was replaced by tough questions from local and federal authorities and a mention of the incident by the White House.

Meanwhile, David Dao, the passenger at the center of the growing imbroglio, retained a high-powered Chicago personal injury lawyer, Thomas Demetrio.

Dao was in a Chicago hospital undergoing treatment for his injuries Tuesday, according to a statement from Demetrio, who is helping represent Dao and his family.


Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-united-passenger-dragged-fallout-stock-0412-biz-20170411-story.html

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And there's more about the attorney here. Also, a 2nd attorney from another firm.

I'm glad UA hit someone with the wherewithal to hit back.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20170411/NEWS04/170419961/united-passenger-lawyers-up-with-tom-demetrio

[geek tragedy]

1. Funny how stock price losses and possibility

of losing market share in Asia awakened his moral conscience.

[dalton99a]

35. No kidding.

[SCVDem]

2. Flying sucks!

United and Delta lead the way on crappy treatment of passengers.

At least on Southwest you can get a laugh.

[2naSalit]

3. All we have around here is Delta...

and its subsidiary fleet of puddle-jumpers.

[Stuckinthebush]

32. Delta made my hate list this last weekend

Their incompetence in the aftermath of canceling flights due to Wednesday storms was stunning. If not for United's stunt, they would be all over the news for a while. I'm sure they thank their lucky stars for United's stupidity.

I'll not fly Delta again. United is now on that list as well. That leaves American and Southwest.

Geez.

[2naSalit]

33. I'm just glad that I hardly ever fly anywhere....nt

[Stuckinthebush]

37. Amen

If I have a less than 10 hour drive, then I'm doing the drive. BY the time you navigate the airport, and deal with the pain of flying, the drive is much more peaceful.

[2naSalit]

38. That's how I see it...

Unless I'm leaving the continent, there are few places I would want to go to where I can't drive close enough to be there easily w/o flight. I'm a ground dweller.

[dalton99a]

4. No one should give money to an airline that physically abuses customers

[jberryhill]

6. What is a "high-powered attorney"?

Does a "high-powered" one have super powers that other attorneys do not have?

[KT2000]

8. he negotiated over $1 billion

in settlements in his career so far. high-powered

[William Seger]

11. Muzzle velocity (nt)

[pnwmom]

15. He specializes in aviation law and has brought in a lot of money for his clients.

And he's going to be working with another attorney from a different firm.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20170411/NEWS04/170419961/united-passenger-lawyers-up-with-tom-demetrio

Demetrio is half of the two-lawyer team who will be representing Dr. David Dao, whom law enforcement physically removed yesterday from an overbooked flight headed from Chicago to Louisville, Ky. Dao had refused to give up his seat when asked and was injured during the ensuing scuffle. CEO Oscar Munoz was forced to apologize, saying he would "fix what's broken so that this never happens again."

The other attorney who is representing Dao is Stephen Golan of Chicago-based Golan Christie Taglia.

"Tom Demetrio being hired means that liftoff for United just became far more difficult," said Bob Clifford, another lion of the Chicago plaintiff's bar. "Tom Demetrio knows the inside and the outside of aviation litigation as well as and better than most, and not only will he well represent the good doctor, he will make a difference to force United to change its conduct . . . Now they have that many more reasons to fret and make amends for what occurred."

[burnbaby]

31. lol nt

[Iggo]

7. Take 'em to the cleaners, Dao.

[zentrum]

9. Hadn't heard that

...he was hospitalized.

[isitreal]

10. concussion

It looked like the Mad a concussion. It is a brain injury that can have serious affects. United and the police officer are going to be very sorry they made that happen.

[pnwmom]

12. That was my guess. When they hit his head on the metal armrest and broke his lip open, they could

have given him a concussion at the same time.

[MrPurple]

13. If no passengers are willing to get off an overbooked flight

The airlines then needs to ask, who will switch flights if we give you $500. You offer someone compensation for their inconvenience, which you created. You don't send in security to rip people out of their seats.

Apparently, when you buy a ticket, you agree that you can't sue them for anything and I'm pretty sure how Neil Gorsuch would rule if that came up. But, I'd love to see them get taken to the cleaners.

[pnwmom]

14. I don't think you give up your right not to have someone commit assault and battery against you.

But I don't think this will go to court; I think UA will settle.

[MrPurple]

16. That makes sense and I hope the apologize and announce policy/training changes

[ColemanMaskell]

26. A contract cannot give permission to violate criminal law - any such provision is null&void

[Raster]

28. It was NOT an overbooked flight. It was a full flight and...

...United wanted to commandeer four seats for crew members AFTER all paying passengers were boarded and seated.

If the flight was truly overbooked, they would have handled the situation BEFORE the passengers ever boarded.

No, no, no... United is going to try and paint this as an overbooked situation, but this will be legally swatted down.

[drmeow]

17. Airline employees who need

to fly to another airport to do their jobs (as my father-in-law did - for United, no less) do not book tickets - which means IMO the flight was not "overbooked" but that it was booked to capacity and they wanted to bump someone. There were not 4 also paying passengers who needed to get on the plane (i.e., overbooked), there were 4 United employees flying for free.

[pnwmom]

20. There is nothing in the UA contract language that would allow them to forcibly bump someone

who has already boarded and taken a seat.

They are allowed to deny boarding because of overbooking; and they are allowed to remove passengers for safety and behavior reasons. But the contract doesn't allow them to remove properly behaved, seated passengers just because they want the seat for someone else.

[ColemanMaskell]

27. Thanks for that information

[Raster]

29. You are correct. United was attempting to commandeer seats from paying passengers.

[Justice]

18. flight not overbooked. Stop saying flight overbooked

After passengers on flight, United wanted to put 4 crew members on to get to Kentucky. Not an overbooking situation. Rules of overbooking don't apply.

[pnwmom]

19. Where does the OP use the term overbooked? But you are correct that there was no legal

justification for the airline's treatment of the passenger; nothing in the contract language that allowed them to take this action.

[luvMIdog]

21. I'm glad they did it to someone that can afford the lawyers

[geek tragedy]

22. I think a lot of lawyers would take this case on contingency nt

[BumRushDaShow]

23. Yup because they know United will settle in a flash and they can collect 1/3rd. nt

[Greensix1]

24. Removed for looking Asian

It is quite evident that the man removed from the United flight is of Asian decent and therefore a Target because of the Trump Presidency by right wing law enforcement thugs. It's also quite obvious that other means were available to handle the situation that the airline did not pursue. Sending their four employees to Louisville by car, or another airline, or privately hired plane were three options. I'm sure that entire airline did not revolve around those four employees getting to Louisville on that flight, but the results of this incident will cost United a lot more than the inconvenience of not having them on there. I won't fly United again. Ever. And of the forty or so people I have talked to about this in the last two days, every one of them has told me the same thing. No more United. I hope their CEO is soon fired for his callous and stupid remarks to the Press and their stock tanks, as it should for such a despicable and violent action against a paying customer.

[tarheelsunc]

34. Just wondering...

Were the three people who left when they were asked to also Asian? If not, then stop trying to make this a race thing. That only distracts from the real issues.

[Joe Nation]

25. "This is your Captain speaking"

"Please feel free to get up and be removed from the cabin."

[mickmten]

30. Or...

"This is your captain speaking - Don't make this hard for yourself..."

[dchill]

36. United Sphincters Tightening

Film at eleven.