Posted on 08/08/2007 9:05:12 AM PDT by BGHater
Airline manufacturer Boeing Co. (BA), major airlines and several airport operators sued the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency on Tuesday in a bid to question current and former agency employees in connection with negligence litigation over the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks.
In separate lawsuits, the airlines and others are challenging decisions by the FBI and the CIA that prevent them from conducting depositions of those employees.
The airlines include AMR Corp.'s (AMR) American Airlines, UAL Corp.'s (UAUA) United Airlines, US Airways Group Inc. (LCC), Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL), Continental Airlines Inc. (CAL) and AirTran Holdings Inc. (AAI).
The Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates Logan International Airport in Boston, and the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority, which operates Ronald Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., also are plaintiffs in the lawsuits.
The lawsuits, filed in federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday, are related to ongoing negligence litigation over the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.
In the FBI lawsuit, the plaintiffs are seeking to conduct depositions of: Scott Billings, a FBI special agent formerly assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force; Erik T. Rigler, a former FBI special agent; Michael Rolince, a FBI section chief for International Terrorism Operations Section from 1998 to 2002; Coleen M. Rowley, a former FBI special agent and Minneapolis Chief Division Counsel; and Harry Samit, a FBI special agent assigned to the Minneapolis Field office and Joint Terrorism Task Force in August and September 2001.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
While I am not thrilled abut the FBI and CIA being deposed, I am also not thrilled about the air plane manufactures having to pay out hundreds of millions of dollars for 9/11.
Its really not Boeing’s fault hijackers flew planes into buildings.
Exactly.
It's like litigating against the hammer manufacturer when a mass murderer uses a hammer as the murder weapon.
Things are bad enough, although I thought that the feds had dealt with 911 in such a way as to prevent the destruction of our domestic Airline industry.
What other litigation might have triggered this? Is there a hint of what the underlying issue is?
Some relatives of the victims of Sept. 11 have filed suit against the seven airlines - including AMR Corp.'s (AMR.N: Quote, Profile, Research) American Airlines and UAL Corp.'s (UAUA.O: Quote, Profile, Research) United Airlines - seeking damages for personal injury and wrongful death
Further discussion here:
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2006/11/could_the_us_have_prevented_91_1.html
I thought we paid everybody off already so there would not be lawsuits.
I'll take a swing at it: FREE MONEY!!!!
I thought the deal was that those who accepted the gov’t money relinquished the right to sue. Some (only a few I think) refused the money because they preferred to sue.
I seem to recall something like that also. If that is the case, I hope these people collect not a cent.
I disagree. The airlines and the private security companies were clearly negligent here. I mean what kind of idiot waves a bunch of young muslim males with mustaches past a security checkpoint armed with knives.
I hope AA is sued out of business.
L
L
No, but you could build a pretty good case for a suit against those who continue to allow people from terrorist states to immigrate to the US. At least IMO...
Me, too. I assume the defense will be entitled to ask why they didn’t take the gov’t money (i.e., failed to mitigate damages). Of course, with judges, you never know.
‘I disagree. The airlines and the private security companies were clearly negligent here. I mean what kind of idiot waves a bunch of young muslim males with mustaches past a security checkpoint armed with knives.’
When these terrorists hit a shopping mall and machinegun shoppers, then self detonate in the food court....will you advocate suing the mall, and Taco Bell?
Sheesh.
If there are paid security personnel manning checkpoints who wave muslim males wearing bulging overcoats on through after 'searching' them and letting them keep their weapons you're damn right I will.
L
I’m missing something here. I can understand Boeing, the airports, United and American being sued. But Delta and AirTran? What was their involvement in 9/11?
If there are paid security personnel manning checkpoints who wave muslim males wearing bulging overcoats on through after ‘searching’ them and letting them keep their weapons you’re damn right I will.
Didn’t think you’d answer the question directly, and suspected you’d make up a scenario, which you did right on cue.
Let's run it down shall we?
Private paid security contractors allowed several young muslim males carrying knives to board commercial aircraft. Those muslim males then slaughtered about 3,000 people using those knives as their primary weapons.
AA hired that security contractor thus bringing into play the doctrine of 'joint and several liability'.
It's really quite simple.
But I suppose it's far better to put the taxpayers on the hook for the negligence of a couple of private companies....
L
You were wrong.
suspected you’d make up a scenario,
I posited an analogous situation, which is something that apparently is just a wee bit beyond your ken.
L
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.