Over $14 Million for Victims of American Airlines Little Rock Crash

November 20, 2002 - Judge Garnett Thomas Eisele of the United States District Court for Eastern District of Arkansas dealt a blow to some of the victims of the American Airlines Little Rock crash by ruling that claims for punitive damages will not be heard by a jury. American Airlines had previously admitted it was liable for the crash and as a result, owed "compensatory" damages. Lawyers for the passengers still seeking punitive damages noted they will appeal the ruling.

On June 1, 1999 the crew of American Airlines Flight 1420 lost control of the MD-82 aircraft on the ground after landing in a thunderstorm at the Little Rock airport. The plane crashed into a light stanchion, broke apart and caught fire. Of the 145 individuals on board, 11 lost their lives. All but three of the total number of cases filed as a result of the crash were settled long before this ruling, which does not affect the vast majority of the passengers.

David E. Rapoport of Rapoport Law Offices, P.C., a member of the court appointed Plaintiff's Steering Committee, noted that "this was a tragedy that could have been prevented and involved gross negligence by the flight crew. While I personally would have allowed a jury to decide the issue if I was a judge, and as a juror I would have voted to punish, I explained to my clients from the start than an award of punitive damages in this case was not likely." With the consent of his clients, Mr. Rapoport and colleague Paul D. Richter negotiated settlements which were paid by the two-year anniversary of the crash. While the terms of each individual settlement cannot be disclosed because of confidentiality agreements, the aggregate amount of the payments to the firm's clients was revealed to exceed $14 million.

This case was covered widely by newspaper, radio and television reporters, both locally and nationally

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