Germanwings Crash: Payouts of More Than $10 million Per Family Would Be Expected in US

The New York Times asks Mike Danko about the international treaty governing foreign airline flights and how jurisdictional issues can affect the compensation to which the families would be entitled.

“In the United States, families could expect payouts of more than $10 million, depending on a person’s specific circumstances, age, occupation and earning power, according to Mr. Danko, who has represented families of victims of the Air France Concorde crash in 2000, and American Airlines Flight 587, which crashed in Queens in November 2001.
But a federal court in California, after the crash of Air France Flight 447, sent the case of two American families back to France, where most cases were being heard, Mr. Danko said.
Still, most cases are settled out of court. For that reason, airlines usually look at where passengers might be able to sue, and offer them compensation that is commensurate with what a court there might award them, Mr. Danko said.”

Read New York Times article online.