‘Million Miler’ lawsuit against airline is allowed to proceed

A lawsuit claiming United Continental Holdings breached a contract with high-mileage frequent flier customers has gotten the green light. U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber of Chicago ruled last week that United customer George Lagen could pursue his case over reduced benefits for customers with “Million Miler” status, Reuters reports. Lagen’s…

Feb 5, 2013 5:40 PM CST

Space law is taking off

Feb 1, 2013 8:59 AM CST

Queried at LAX re Legal Body Armor, Arrested Passenger Is Denied Bail Based on Computer Contents

The hatchet in a checked bag for an airline passenger traveling through Los Angeles from Japan last week, en route to Boston, was legal, according to authorities. Ditto the gas mask, biohazard suit, handcuffs, leg irons and a number of other items obviously likely to catch a U.S. Customs and…

Oct 12, 2012 7:23 PM CDT

What Regs Apply if Humans Meet ET? Can Asteroid Miners Profit? Space Lawyers Seek Answers

Should humans who meet extraterrestrials be quarantined? Who pays if satellites fall to the ground, hurting people or damaging property? Space lawyers are raising the issues and providing the answers. Space lawyers really do exist, and their practice has real-life consequences, Fast Company reports. “Depending on whether the space lawyer…

Aug 9, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Give Me the Moon: Texas Lawyer Pursues Ordinary Folks and World Leaders for NASA’s Lunar Rock Gifts

Joe Gutheinz retired more than a decade ago from his job as a senior agent for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s office of inspector general. But the Houston attorney hasn’t had any trouble keeping busy. In addition to teaching a college class on investigative techniques, he devotes his time…

May 14, 2012 6:29 PM CDT

Not Rocket Science: NYC Atty’s Business Method Patent Lowers Satellite Investment Risk

Apr 1, 2012 9:40 AM CDT

Breast-Feeding Woman Booted from Plane Wins Secret Delta Settlement, 2 Other Carriers to Pay $20K

A New Mexico woman who said she was ordered off a Delta Connections flight in Vermont in 2006 after she refused an offended flight attendant’s demand to cover herself with an airline blanket has settled her civil rights case over the incident. According to Emily Gillette, who is now 32,…

Mar 16, 2012 9:25 PM CDT

After Women Say They Were Targeted for Body Scans, DFW Airport Installs ‘Privacy Filter’

After some women passengers complained that they were being singled out for body scans by Transportation Safety Administration agents at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, a privacy filter was installed to blur the body images, reports Wired’s Threat Level blog. But whether there was any cause-and-effect relationship is unclear. One…

Feb 15, 2012 8:57 PM CST

Around the Blawgosphere: Does Lawyer Who Offered Groupon Have Regrets?; Digital Death Plans

A Groupon Pioneer Looks Back On Jan. 19, 2011, when An ethics subcommittee of the North Carolina State Bar was deciding whether a lawyer in the state could ethically offer a Groupon deal, Craig Redler talked to the ABA Journal about his 2010 Groupon offer of a will and durable…

Jan 20, 2012 2:33 PM CST

Probate Lawyer, 65, Says She Forgot Loaded Gun in DFW Carry-On, Faces Potential Felony Case

A Texas trusts and estates lawyer was briefly taken into custody and faces a potential felony case after reportedly forgetting that she had a loaded handgun in her carry-on computer bag as she boarded an American Airlines flight to Houston yesterday at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Judith Kenney, 65, was…

Jan 19, 2012 9:12 PM CST

Family Sues American Airlines After Man Eats International Flight Meal and Dies

A 73-year-old Florida man contacted food poisoning and died shortly eating an in-flight meal on American Airlines, according to his family, and they recently filed a lawsuit against the carrier in the U.S. District Court in Miami. Othon Cortes was flying from Barcelona to New York when he ate a…

Dec 2, 2011 4:15 PM CST

American Eagle Fined $900K in First Penalty Levied re Passengers Waiting Over 3 Hours on Tarmac

For those wondering how aggressively the U.S. Department of Transportation intends to enforce a new rule requiring airlines not to keep domestic passengers sitting for more than 3 hours in planes waiting on the tarmac, a $900,000 fine assessed against American Eagle Airlines provides an answer. The penalty resulted from…

Nov 14, 2011 7:15 PM CST

Freak NE Snowstorm Strands Air Passengers on Tarmac, Testing New DOT Regs, and Closes Courthouses

An unusual October snowstorm wreaked havoc on northeastern states, stranding passengers of multiple airplanes on the tarmac for more than seven hours over the weekend and closing a number of courthouses today. The situation was exacerbated by a record number of power outages, and it is expected to take over…

Oct 31, 2011 6:15 PM CDT

Longtime Administrative Lawyer, 88, Once a Pilot Shot Down in World War II, Now Looks to the Stars

A former U.S. Air Force pilot who lost a leg after being shot down over Germany in World War II, Bill Kraham survived, although he lost part of a leg as a result of the crash, and went on to become a lawyer. He worked for the Federal Aviation Administration…

Oct 5, 2011 6:28 PM CDT

FBI: Skyjacker May Have Survived ‘71 Parachute Jump With $200K, Died of Natural Causes Decades Later

A hijacker who parachuted from a Boeing 727 over the Pacific Northwest with a $200,000 ransom in 1971 and has never been found despite one of the most extensive manhunts of the 20th century may have survived the dangerous night leap into rugged territory. Agent Fred Gutt of the Federal…

Aug 2, 2011 12:28 AM CDT