The passenger dragged from a United Airlines plane in Chicago in an incident that sparked international outrage and turned into a public relations nightmare for the carrier, will likely sue the company, his attorney said on Thursday.
"For a long time airlines, United in particular, have bullied us," Thomas Demetrio told a news conference in Chicago.
"Will there be a lawsuit? Yeah, probably."
He said the law stated that passengers could not be ejected from planes with unreasonable force.
David Dao, a 69-year-old Vietnamese-American doctor, was hospitalized after Chicago aviation police dragged him from the plane as the airline sought to make space on a flight from the city's O'Hare International Airport to Louisville, Kentucky.
Dao, who was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday night, suffered a significant concussion, a broken nose and lost two front teeth in the incident, and he will need to undergo reconstructive surgery, Demetrio said.
Video of Sunday's incident taken by other passengers and showing Dao being dragged up the plane aisle and with a bloodied mouth circulated rapidly, causing public outrage that was not calmed by the airline's initial response to the case.
Dao's daughter, Crystal Dao Pepper, told the news conference that the family was "horrified, shocked and sickened" by what happened to her father. One of Dao's five children, Pepper, 33, described him as a "wonderful father" and "loving grandfather" who had been returning from vacation in California.
Demetrio said Dao had told him that being dragged down the plane aisle was more terrifying than his experience fleeing Vietnam in the 1970s.
Demetrio and a second attorney, Stephen Golan, said neither they nor the family had heard from United yet.
The lawyers filed an emergency request with an Illinois state court on Wednesday to require United Continental Holdings Inc and the City of Chicago to preserve video recordings and other evidence related to Sunday's incident, which would be a precursor to a lawsuit.
Officials from United and the city could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday's news conference.
United Chief Executive Oscar Munoz is under pressure to contain a torrent of bad publicity and calls for boycotts against United, including in China, where people have been angered because Dao was an Asian-American passenger.
United shares have lost about 1 percent of their value since Monday. The stock was down about 0.5 percent after the news conference on Thursday.
Munoz has sought in the last two days to make amends. In a statement on Tuesday he said he "deeply" apologized and was disturbed by what had happened. On Wednesday, he apologized to Dao, his family and United customers in an ABC News interview, saying the company would no longer use law enforcement officers to remove passengers from overbooked flights.
Demetrio called the apology "staged" and a response to the airline executive's earlier comments, which were heavily criticized by many.
In a letter to employees on Monday, Munoz did not apologize to Dao and defended the airline's actions, saying Dao had been "disruptive and belligerent" in refusing to leave the plane when he was asked to by crew, leaving the staff with no choice but to call aviation security officers for help removing him.
The incident occurred when the airline was seeking to free up space on the plane for crew members it wanted to fly to Louisville.
AIRPORT POLICE
Chicago city, which Demetrio said had also not contacted the attorneys and family, is also potentially involved in any suit as the airport police who removed Dao from the plane are employed by the city.
Chicago's Aviation Department said on Wednesday that two more officers had been placed on leave in connection with the incident. One officer was placed on leave on Tuesday.
Given the wide public outrage over the incident, Dao is in a strong position as he prepares to launch a legal action, lawyers who represent airlines and passengers said.
“United is looking at a legal claim, but they’re also looking at a huge public relations and business problem,” said Justin Green, a partner at the law firm Kreindler & Kreindler in New York who represents airline passengers.
“I think United, if they’re smart, will quickly and quietly settle the case.”
Paul Callan, a civil and criminal trial lawyer in New York, said Dao has at least two potential claims against the airline: a personal injury claim for assault and battery, which could also target the police; and a contract claim.
Callan said he had reviewed United’s contract of carriage, the fine print that passengers agree to when they buy tickets. He said that while the contract allows United to deny passengers boarding, it says nothing about removing a passenger from a plane unless the passenger is disruptive.
Deepak Gupta of the law firm Gupta Wessler in Washington who works on consumer issues, noted that there were potential legal roadblocks to a lawsuit. However, Gupta said, “I think the serious public relations risk to United will give them an incentive to provide a generous settlement.”
Kenneth Quinn, a partner at the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman in Washington who represents airlines, disputed that Dao had a case, saying that under the passenger contract, removing Dao from the plane while it was still at the gate was no different from denying him boarding. And once Dao refused to leave, Quinn said, the airline had a reason to use force.
But he added, “I think United is likely to be found on legally solid ground, but has already lost in the court of public opinion, and will pay dearly for it.”
Reuters
Thu Apr 13 2017
A video screengrab shows passenger David Dao being dragged off a United Airlines flight at Chicago O'Hare International Airport in this video filmed by @JayseDavid April 9, 2017. Jayse D. Anspach via REUTERS
MOT, Khazanah, MAG perlu perkukuh tadbir urus MAB - PM Anwar
Jelas Anwar lagi, pengurusan syarikat penerbangan yang baik juga akan memberi manfaat kepada kakitangan melalui gaji yang setimpal dengan perkhidmatan mereka.
Kontroversi UM: Mahasiswa protes, tuntut tindakan tegas pihak jemput profesor pro-Israel
Sekumpulan mahasiswa Universiti Malaya (UM) hari ini mengadakan perhimpunan membantah tindakan menjemput penceramah pro-Zionis memberi ceramah di institusi itu baru-baru ini.
[INFOGRAFIK] Penstrukturan Semula Akaun KWSP | Berkuatkuasa 11 Mei 2024
Berikut adalah info berkenaan dengan Penstrukturan Semula Akaun KWSP.
Sekatan terhadap penceramah asing pro-Zionis demi keselamatan negara - Zambry
Sekatan terhadap penceramah asing pro-Zionis perlu dilihat dari aspek keselamatan dan imej negara yang boleh terjejas akibat kenyataan mereka.
Kekejaman zionis: Universiti Columbia ilhamkan gelombang protes nasional
Protes di Universiti Columbia membantah perang Israel di Gaza telah mencetuskan gelombang demonstrasi serupa di kampus kolej seluruh Amerika Syarikat.
Pemilik stesen minyak didenda RM30,000 jual RON95 kepada kenderaan asing
Hakim menjatuhkan hukuman itu ke atas Mohammad Naziruddin Abu Hassan, 61, selaku Orang Kena Saman (OKS) selepas mengaku bersalah atas pertuduhan itu.
Komen jelik tentang nahas helikopter TLDM, peniaga didenda RM23,000
Seorang peniaga dalam talian didenda RM23,000 oleh Mahkamah Sesyen Taiping pada Jumaat, selepas mengaku bersalah atas tuduhan memuat naik komen jelik berhubung nahas helikopter milik Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) di Lumut, yang mengorbankan 10 mangsa.
Lima laluan ditutup sementara sempena hari penamaan calon PRK KKB esok
Jalan yang terlibat bagi penutupan sementara itu ialah Jalan Merdeka, Jalan Abdul Hamid, Jalan Dato Muda Jaafar, Jalan Mat Kilau dan Jalan Kamarudin.
[TERKINI] Mahasiswa bersama Palestin
Sekumpulan mahasiswa Universiti Malaya yang berang dengan tindakan Institut Pengajian China, Universiti Malaya (UM) menjemput individu pro-Zionis untuk menyampaikan seminar ilmiah, akhirnya turun berdemonstrasi bagi menyuarakan bantahan mereka terhadap Zionis dan sokongan mereka terhadap perjuangan membebaskan Palestin.
#AWANInews
#AWANInews
[TERKINI] Sarjana ‘berkualiti rendah’ tak patut dijemput - PM Anwar
Universiti Malaya sebelum ini menerima kecaman kerana membenarkan Gilley menyebarkan propaganda Zionis dan menuduh ahli politik Malaysia yang menyokong perjuangan Palestin menyebarkan kebencian terhadap Yahudi.
7 maut dalam insiden tembakan di AS, suspek bersenjata diburu
Polis Illinois sedang mengesan seorang suspek yang dipercayai menembak mati tujuh individu di dua buah rumah di bandar Joliet.
4 cedera dalam kejadian tembakan di pusat beli-belah di Chicago
Empat orang cedera dalam kejadian tembakan di sebuah pusat beli-belah di pinggir bandar Chicago pada Khamis.
Seorang kanak-kanak maut, 7 cedera dalam insiden tembakan di Chicago
Polis tawar ganjaran US$9,000 kepada sesiapa yang dapat memberikan maklumat sehingga tertangkapnya suspek.
COVID-19: Lebih 200 kes dikesan berkait Festival Muzik Chicago
203 kes COVID-19 yang dilaporkan hanya bergejala ringan dan tiada kemasukan ke hospital atau kematian.
Stres akibat pandemik, lelaki terjun tasik setiap hari
Lebih ekstrem lagi apabila O'Conor pernah melakukannya musim sejuk iaitu sewaktu tasik Michigan membeku.
Kanak-kanak baling keluar tilam selamatkan diri dan adik-adik dalam kebakaran rumah
Tiga kanak-kanak berusia dari 2 hingga 8 tahun terperangkap dalam kebakaran rumah berjaya diselamatkan.
2 maut, 13 cedera ditembak di Chicago
Seramai 15 orang ditembak, dua daripadanya terbunuh, empat senapang dijumpai di lokasi kejadian.
Kanak-kanak 8 tahun maut dalam insiden tembakan di Chicago
Ketua Operasi Polis Chicago Brian McDermott berkata insiden tembakan tersebut berlaku sebelum 6 petang di kawasan kejiranan Canaryville.
14 cedera dalam insiden tembakan di Chicago
Laporan awal mengatakan 11 cedera dalam kejadian yang berlaku kira-kira 23:30 GMT di 1000-blok West 79th Street, lokasi berlangsungnya upacara pengebumian.
Wanita Chicago kes kedua positif koronavirus di Amerika Syarikat
Wanita yang berusia 60an itu kembali dari China pada 13 Januari tanpa sebarang simptom, namun beberapa hari kemudian dia mula berasa kurang sihat.