Families reject deal in
Swissair crash
By The Associated Press
Philadelphia - Relatives of 229 people killed in last year's
Swissair Flight 111 crash are rejecting a settlement in which the
airline would compensate each family provided they not pursue
punitive damages.
In a brief filed Tuesday, lawyers for the families said the
settlement would significantly limit financial awards and keep
survivors from learning the full extent of misconduct involved in
the September 1998 crash off the coast of Nova Scotia.
The proposed settlement would have covered 167 cases involving
U.S. victims as well as any future claims.
The offer was worth about $300 US million to families, compared
to an estimated $1 billion award if punitive damages are awarded by
a jury, said a lawyer for the victims' families.
"It is their fault and there is a price to be paid for fault,"
Arthur Wolk said today. "There needs to be recognition that this
person had value beyond the recovery of the strict economic
contribution that the person would have made to his family."
The brief, filed in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, requests
that the suit continue against Swissair; Boeing, which owns the
company that built the MD-11 jetliner; Delta Airlines, which had a
ticket-sharing deal with Swissair; and Inflight Technologies, which
provided the plane's electronic entertainment system.
Swissair, Boeing and Delta last month offered the settlement,
although Swissair said the proposal was not an admission of guilt.
A lawyer representing Swissair, Boeing and Delta said the
victims' families are unlikely to receive punitive damages whether
or not they reject the settlement.
"It's like they are saying, 'Please we want to spend 10 years
litigating this case,'" Mike Holland of New York-based law firm
Condon and Forsyth said today. "We've already agreed to accept
liability. There's no issue to contest."
|