“The United Airlines and the City of Chicago would both be named as defendants in the suit.”
I doubt that very much. The causes of action are very different. There will be two separate trials and Dao will get big bucks from each of them irrespective of the other. And quite frankly, I don’t know who I want to pony up more. In terms of physical injuries, the City of Chicago has a bigger issue. And besides, It’s Chicago and anything that can take money from Rahm Emmanuel is a good thing.
If Dao’s lawyer sues United without naming the City of Chicago as a co-defendant, then they’ll spend years just figuring out which venue would hear the case. The only cause of action that Dao has against United that doesn’t involve the City of Chicago relates to the breach of contract — which seems to be a Federal case, not a state matter. It’s also such a minor item that the damages he could recover for that silly cause of action wouldn’t even cover two hours of his lawyer’s time.