False imprisonment/NWA case? Anyone hear about this before???

[LadyShiva]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17240263/
"After the Detroit incident, Northwest found itself faced with a huge lawsuit accusing the airline of, among other things, false imprisonment.

"Northwest tried repeatedly, and unsuccessfully, to get the case dismissed but with every attempt, the courts ruled the case had enough merit to go to trial. And then, faced with an imminent trial date (and a very real prospect of losing), Northwest wrote out a check for approximately $7 million and settled the case out of court. Why? The airline was terrified that if it went to trial and lost, it would create case law — a precedent — that could lead to more lawsuits."

Whhhhaaat? How was this not referenced in the JetBlue articles I've been reading everywhere? Is this even true???

Thanks in advance!
Brandie

 

[Jestocost]

Yes it is true. Passengers were stranded up to 9 hours on the tarmac in Detroit. Some experienced that after having had a flight the night before cancelled and the flight to Detroit delayed on the tarmac in its origination city for a couple of hours.

 

[CarolA]

Don't worry, the lawyers in NY planning the JetBlue class action suits are WELL aware of this precedent. LOL!

 

[LadyShiva]

Don't worry, the lawyers in NY planning the JetBlue class action suits are WELL aware of this precedent. LOL!

Googling for that settlement is not getting me anywhere. I have validated the passengers were stranded, but not that they actually received real money (not vouchers) for the false imprisonment.

It would makes sense that NWA would be hush-hush about the settlement docs, but I should still be able to pull them up to read, right?

Brandie

 

[Lewisc]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-02-16-jetblue-issues_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA

JetBlue is offering the 1,000 passengers who sat more than three hours in planes Wednesday a full refund and a free roundtrip ticket — a move lawyer Lawrence Charfoos called "very smart." Charfoos won a $7 million settlement from Northwest Airlines on behalf of 7,000 passengers who waited in planes for hours at the Detroit airport during a storm in 1999.

Googling for that settlement is not getting me anywhere. I have validated the passengers were stranded, but not that they actually received real money (not vouchers) for the false imprisonment.

It would makes sense that NWA would be hush-hush about the settlement docs, but I should still be able to pull them up to read, right?

Brandie

 

[LadyShiva]

From the lawyers:
http://www.c2lawfirm.com/litigation_updates/01-09-01.jsp

Thanks for the help confirming this!
Brandie

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Without published case law there can be no precedent for the false imprisonment cause of action with this particular fact pattern. Interesting further it being a class action. Rest assured that was not the only cause of action to be litigated in the matter. It's a very creative argument and may have succeeded... One truly never knows.

Minus attorneys' fees and costs... each participant received no more than $600. Which is still money

 

[bicker]

Yup, that's the point of a settlement: It establishes absolutely nothing in terms of legal precedent.

 

[seashoreCM]

Were the 7000 people held inside airplanes?

7 million dollars averages $1000. per person before attorneys fees.

Why not each person in the Valentines Day 2007 storm just size up his own situation (primarily with respect to discomfort) and name his own compensation in a private letter (Priceline passengers included). Do take into account that weather delays in themselves are not compensable.

Today I am having a hard time deciding whether arriving passengers bused from a gateless plane across a field of ice should have free delivery of luggage to their homes if they disperse from the airport before the plane finally gets to a gate.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[Lewisc]

How long should those passengers be required to wait at JFK for luggage? Passengers have a right to expect they will be off their plane and get their luggage within a reasonable time period after landing. Maybe an hour? Maybe two hours? What about passengers that pre-arranged a taxi or limo? Drivers will wait for an arriving flight but should they wait additional time for late luggage?

Jet Blue is going to be paying to deliver luggage. It would look petty to decide passengers in one flight have to drive to JFK to retrieve their luggage.

Today I am having a hard time deciding whether arriving passengers bused from a gateless plane across a field of ice should have free delivery of luggage to their homes if they disperse from the airport before the plane finally gets to a gate.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[seashoreCM]

? What about passengers that pre-arranged a taxi or limo? Drivers will wait for an arriving flight but should they wait additional time for late luggage?.

The airline may declare the flight not arrived until the plane itself gets to a gate. The bringing of the passengers to the terminal is an alternative to bringing amenities out to the plane.

Jet Blue did not even provide for the comfort of the passengers.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Were the 7000 people held inside airplanes?

7 million dollars averages $1000. per person before attorneys fees.

Now you know why the lawsuit was filed to begin with.