« Michael Moore's new docu to bring in antidepressants and shootings | Main | Arms of the Khyber Pass »
Southwest Airlines gets stung in civil case
My Arizona bar journal just arrived, with a story about the largest verdicts of 2006. The fourth largest was $9 million against Southwest Air. Apparently a pair of bail bonds recovery agents wanted to board a plane while carrying, and were approved to do so. They identified themselves as working for H&D Enterprises, but the Southwest Air people read that as the government department HUD when they okayed it.
The article isn't clear as to what happened next: it says before landing the pilot radioed that they did not have clearance (I wonder if it means that they radioed the pilot). After landing, they were arrested (although it should have been obvious by then that they weren't up to anything improper) and jailed for three days. I guess the jury didn't like what happened. I suspect there's a lot more to the story -- three days in jail doesn't normally equal a million in actuals and four million in punitives (on the latter, AZ law requires proof of "an evil mind.") If I were to guess, the airline probably tried to cover up, which may have led to their being jailed and/or held for three days instead of being quickly released. Something like that might have gotten the jury hacked, and met the legal standard.
Comments
Why the HELL should Housing and Urban Development get to carry armed on an airplane if I can't? What does HUD do that even remotely looks like law enforcement?
Posted by: Leo Green at April 22, 2007 08:34 PM
Well, you may not care but HUD law enforcement officers patrol some of the toughest neighborhoods in the US. They go places local cops won't. Like it or not, lots of federal agencies have law enforcement officers. The Dept. of the Interior, where your humble host at this site used to work, has quite a few of them: Park Service Rangers/Police, Bureau of Indian Affairs Police, etc.
Posted by: Letalis at April 22, 2007 08:48 PM
GIVE EVERY ONE A GUN.
Posted by: steve at April 23, 2007 12:52 AM
Letalis:"HUD law enforcement officers patrol some of the toughest neighborhoods in the US. They go places local cops won't."
What about the people who live in those neighborhoods? By your own account, they don't even have police protection. If they cannot arm themselves, they are utterly defenseless from the goblins that make their living disdaining the law.
The servants of the people do not deserve better protection than the people themselves.
Posted by: djmoore at April 23, 2007 10:01 AM
I understand that HUD police patrol tough neighborhoods, but there are no such places on airplanes. If they can carry on a plane, the rest of us should be allowed to as well.
Posted by: Jim at April 23, 2007 01:15 PM
It seems to me that you have to work for some kind of goverment agency before you can carry anywhere, or be an ex-policeman. It's that elite society thing you know.
Posted by: John R. Bukovac at April 24, 2007 06:32 AM
eafpds ykcsx hsdplr fwack aoup ekuztxw mifd
Posted by: zqmiw ocvhgy at May 2, 2007 07:23 AM