dashtrasher
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Airlines should be liable for attacks: lawyer
Thursday May 1, 7:42 pm ET
By Gail Appleson
NEW YORK, May 1 (Reuters) - American Airlines and United Airlines should be held liable for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks because they did not stop hijackers from entering the cockpits of the four hijacked planes, a lawyer for victims' families argued on Thursday.
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The lawyer, Marc Moller, made his arguments in a hearing aimed at determining whether litigation can proceed against six groups of defendants, including American and United, which are units of AMR Corp. (NYSE:AMR - News) and UAL Corp. (OTC BB:UALAQ.OB - News),respectively.
The defendants include other carriers who shared responsibility for setting up airline security, Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA - News), airport operators and the owner and the leaseholder of the World Trade Center.
They are suing for unspecified damages.
The hearing, which will continue on Friday in Manhattan federal court, involves more than 60 claims filed by families of victims who were killed on the ground. The outcome of the hearing is being widely watched because it will determine whether other families choose to join the litigation instead of seeking payment from a national compensation fund.
The defendants have asked U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein to dismiss the lawsuits. If he decides to allow litigation to proceed, he will consider claims brought by families of those aboard the four planes used in the attacks.
More than 3,000 people were killed in the hijacked airline attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and in the crash in rural Pennsylvania.
"The airlines accepted the responsibility of preventing those people from getting into the cockpit. ... The airlines are responsible for the consequences," Moller said. "Negligence comes down to control of the planes."
But the airlines argue they should not be held liable because the unprecedented attacks were unforeseeable and they had followed safety measures required by the federal government.
"No remotely similar event has ever happened in the history of aviation," said Roger Podesta, an American Airline lawyer.
Jeffrey Ellis, a lawyer representing United, said that the government decides what threats must be addressed by airlines and that these type of suicide hijackings had never been envisioned.
Hellerstein said that the airlines knew there was a risk of hijackings and questioned why security measures should be different because hijackers might be on suicide missions.
Ellis said there would be a difference including greater efforts to deter attackers. He also pointed out that President George W. Bush signed legislation last November to allow commercial airline pilots to carry guns as defense against cockpit intruders.
But Moller said that airlines realized prior to Sept. 11 that terrorists wanted to attack the United States. "By the year 2001, suicide was the great fear," he said.
Thursday May 1, 7:42 pm ET
By Gail Appleson
NEW YORK, May 1 (Reuters) - American Airlines and United Airlines should be held liable for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks because they did not stop hijackers from entering the cockpits of the four hijacked planes, a lawyer for victims' families argued on Thursday.
ADVERTISEMENT
The lawyer, Marc Moller, made his arguments in a hearing aimed at determining whether litigation can proceed against six groups of defendants, including American and United, which are units of AMR Corp. (NYSE:AMR - News) and UAL Corp. (OTC BB:UALAQ.OB - News),respectively.
The defendants include other carriers who shared responsibility for setting up airline security, Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA - News), airport operators and the owner and the leaseholder of the World Trade Center.
They are suing for unspecified damages.
The hearing, which will continue on Friday in Manhattan federal court, involves more than 60 claims filed by families of victims who were killed on the ground. The outcome of the hearing is being widely watched because it will determine whether other families choose to join the litigation instead of seeking payment from a national compensation fund.
The defendants have asked U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein to dismiss the lawsuits. If he decides to allow litigation to proceed, he will consider claims brought by families of those aboard the four planes used in the attacks.
More than 3,000 people were killed in the hijacked airline attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and in the crash in rural Pennsylvania.
"The airlines accepted the responsibility of preventing those people from getting into the cockpit. ... The airlines are responsible for the consequences," Moller said. "Negligence comes down to control of the planes."
But the airlines argue they should not be held liable because the unprecedented attacks were unforeseeable and they had followed safety measures required by the federal government.
"No remotely similar event has ever happened in the history of aviation," said Roger Podesta, an American Airline lawyer.
Jeffrey Ellis, a lawyer representing United, said that the government decides what threats must be addressed by airlines and that these type of suicide hijackings had never been envisioned.
Hellerstein said that the airlines knew there was a risk of hijackings and questioned why security measures should be different because hijackers might be on suicide missions.
Ellis said there would be a difference including greater efforts to deter attackers. He also pointed out that President George W. Bush signed legislation last November to allow commercial airline pilots to carry guns as defense against cockpit intruders.
But Moller said that airlines realized prior to Sept. 11 that terrorists wanted to attack the United States. "By the year 2001, suicide was the great fear," he said.
