Aviation & Space Law

Air travelers should have a private right of action if discriminated against, ABA House says

The ABA House of Delegates approved a resolution targeting air carriers’ discrimination against people with disabilities after lengthy debate Monday at the midyear meeting in Austin, Texas.

Feb 17, 2020 4:17 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: New win for flag burner in SCOTUS case; Johnson & Johnson seeks mistrial for stricken closing

News Roundup

Sep 11, 2019 4:00 PM CDT

European travel disputes are on Flightright’s legal tech radar

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Philipp Kadelbach, the founder of Flightright, an automated service that helps passengers check and assert their compensation claims in Europe.

Aug 23, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Boeing’s legal troubles over airplane grounding could just be taking off

Nearly three dozen lawsuits have been filed against Boeing since its 737 Max 8 aircraft operated by Lion Air crashed in Indonesia on Oct. 29, killing all 189 people aboard. Now that an Ethiopian Air flight in a 737 Max 8 crashed in Ethiopia on March 10 and killed 157…

Mar 14, 2019 2:53 PM CDT

Want to fly a drone? You have to play by the rules

The first full day of ABA Techshow 2019 kicked off with a buzz as a small, black multi-propellered flying object zipped through a ballroom at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago.

Feb 28, 2019 11:45 AM CST

Has pro bono work helped you professionally?

Can pro bono pay off?

May 30, 2018 1:53 PM CDT

Aviation security officer who dragged doctor from plane in viral video files lawsuit

An aviation security officer who dragged a doctor from a United Airlines plane in an incident caught video that went viral has filed a lawsuit that claims he received inadequate training in how to handle such a situation. The fired officer, James Long, claims the city of Chicago did not…

Apr 11, 2018 10:32 AM CDT

Southwest reaches settlement in price-fixing class action; will cooperate against other airlines

A judge has given preliminary approval of a class-action settlement with Southwest Airlines for $15 million and “significant cooperation” in proving a cartel case against codefendants American, Delta and United airlines, according to court documents. “Southwest’s cooperation will permit Plaintiffs’ Counsel to obtain information that will help guide discovery going…

Jan 5, 2018 9:26 AM CST

How Hogan Lovells got CNN a first-of-its-kind drone waiver

CNN has received a first-of-its-kind waiver to fly drones over populated areas.

Oct 27, 2017 4:55 PM CDT

Lawyer for man dragged off flight sees lesson in firing of 2 aviation officers

Two Chicago aviation security officers have been fired in connection with an April incident in which a Louisville, Kentucky, doctor was dragged off his United Airlines flight. One officer was fired for escalating the conflict, while another was fired for removing information about the incident from an employee report, according…

Oct 17, 2017 4:38 PM CDT

10 Questions: Space lawyer helps his clients reach for the moon

James E. Dunstan, the principal of Springfield, Virginia-based Mobius Legal Group, has spent more than 30 years specializing in space law.

Oct 1, 2017 3:40 AM CDT

Federal judge overturns Massachusetts city law regulating drones

In the first federal court ruling (PDF) concerning attempts by city and state jurisdictions to regulate the use of drones, a judge denied a requirement by a city near Boston regarding local registration and significant bans on where and how low they can fly. Fortune and Ars Technica have reports.…

Sep 22, 2017 4:53 PM CDT

Navigating drone laws has become a growing and lucrative legal niche

The brave new world of drones has spawned a growing—and lucrative—legal niche. With little case law for guidance and a complex web of government regulations to wade through, “drone attorneys” have recently found themselves in high demand.

Jul 1, 2017 12:20 AM CDT

Lawyer who filed petition over missing Malaysia Airlines flight has disappeared

A Chicago lawyer who filed a court petition seeking information about the disappearance of Malaysia Air Flight 370 is herself missing. Monica Ribbeck Kelly has left “a trail of unhappy clients wondering about the U.S. justice system,” Forbes reports. Kelly had traveled to Beijing with a Shanghai lawyer where they…

Jun 30, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

9th Circuit allows airline passenger’s contract suit over delayed baggage

An airline passenger’s suit seeking a refund of a checked baggage fee because of delayed luggage delivery is not pre-empted by federal law, a federal appeals court has ruled. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday on behalf of Hayley Hickcox-Huffman, Reuters reports. How Appealing links…

May 4, 2017 7:45 AM CDT