When it comes to lawsuits, nothing surprises me anymore.
Many years ago, I read a book called the “Dosadi Experiment”. The fun part of that book was that whenever there was a lawsuit, the losing lawyer was executed by the winner.
Now THAT would definitely cut down on the number of frivolous lawsuits (not to mention reducing the excess number of lawyers) but sadly to say it wouldn’t fly.
Still, the general idea has merit. The way things stand now, lawyers do not face sufficient sanctions or counter-incentives against unnecessary court actions.
Perhaps if a lawyer losing the suit were to be required to pay a substantial portion of the judgment out of his own pocket, things could change.
The airfield owners are clearly liable for not having a properly fenced in area to keep errant car traffic from mistakenly entering the runway thinking that it was an on-ramp to the local interstate. :)