In re Air Crash Disaster at Gander, Newfoundland

• Decision Date: 30 December 1987
• Docket Number: No. MDL 683.,MDL 683.
• Citation: 684 F. Supp. 927
• Court: U.S. District Court — Western District of Kentucky
• Parties: In re AIR CRASH DISASTER AT GANDER, NEWFOUNDLAND, on DECEMBER 12, 1985.

684 F. Supp. 927

In re AIR CRASH DISASTER AT GANDER, NEWFOUNDLAND, on DECEMBER 12, 1985.

No. MDL 683.

United States District Court, W.D. Kentucky, Paducah Division.

December 30, 1987.

Stanley M. Chesley, Waite, Schneider, Bayless & Chesley, Cincinnati, Ohio, Paul D. Welker, Clarksville, Tenn., W. Howell Hopson, III, Geneva F. Parris, Futrell, Hopson & Parris, Cudiz, Ky., Melvin M. Belli, Sr. and Richard E. Brown, Law Offices of Melvin Belli, Sr., San Francisco, Cal., John W. Combs, II, Hopkinsville, Ky., N. Reese Bagwell, Jr., Douglas B. Parker, Bagwell, Bagwell & Parker, Clarksville Tenn., Peter H. Martin, John H. Gasaway, Clarksville, Tenn., Wendell H. Rorie, Rorie & Guier, Hopkinsville, Ky., Roy Neuenschwander, Knoxville, Tenn., J. Allen Lewis, Jr., Florence, S.C., Carol W. Johnson, Hopkinsville, Ky., John Turnbull, Turnbull & Ward, Livingston, Tenn., Charles L. Johnson, II, Clarksville, Tenn., Vince Giovanni, Sobel, Colton & Giovanni, Birmingham, Mich., J. Edmund De Castro, Jr., Jaeckle, Fleischmann & Mugel, Buffalo, N.Y., Lucius P. Hawes, Jr., Mark A. Rassas, Tyrone C. Means, Massey, Means & Thomas, Montgomery, Ala., Peden B. McLeod, McLeod, Fraser & Cone, Walterboro, S.C., Gerald C. Smoak, Smoak, Moody, Buckner & Siegel, Walterboro, S.C., Michael A. Parfitt, Ashcraft & Gerel, Washington, D.C., Rogert I. Kimigot, Levy, Phillips & Konigsberg, New York City, Ronald A. Fitzgerald, Fleming, O'Bryan & Fleming, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., W. Michael Morgan, Cunningham, Mitchell & Hicks, Richardson & Richardson Glenn, Wedemeyer, Hay & Grimes, Clarksville, Tenn., Kathy Earhart, Dover, Tenn., William J. Campbell, Jamestown, Tenn., Myers N. Massengill, Caldwell, Johnson, Winston & Massengill, P.C., Bristol, Tenn., J. Daniel Kemp, Turner, Dixon & Kemp, Hopkinsville, Ky., John L. Atkins, W.E. Rogers III, Rogers, Higgins & Atkins, Hopkinsville, Ky., David H. Marsh, Emond & Vines, Birmingham, Ala., Paul D. Welker, Riley C. Darnell, Thomas N. Bateman, Clarksville, Tenn., Neil J. Hoff, Tacoma, Wash., Lucius P. Hawes, Jr., Wright & Hawes, Hopkinsville, Ky., Lee S. Kreindler, Kreindler & Kreindler, New York City, Mark Rassas, Rassas & Rassas, Clarksville, Tenn., Jamie R. Lebovitz, Willard E. Bartel, Edward I. Stillman, Miller, Stillman & Bartel, Cleveland, Ohio, Philip H. Corboy, Corboy & Demetrio, P.C., Chicago, Ill., Harris J. Berman, Frank E. Haddad, Jr., Louisville, Ky., Cecil Davenport, Louisville, Ky., Richard A. Head, Samuel B. Carl, Louisville, Ky., Windle Turley, John Howie, Law Offices of Windle Turley, P.C., Marvin Thomas, Thomas, Neilson & Griffin, Dallas, Tex., John P. Coale, Coale & Associates, P.C., Washington, D.C., Jorge Ortiz Brunet, Hato Rey, P.R., Nicholas Gilman, Michael J. Pangia, Philadelphia, Pa., Paul Beckman, Baltimore, Md., John J. Kennelly, John J. Kennelly & Associates, Arthur L. Berman, Berman, Fagel, Haber, Maragos & Abrams, Chicago, Ill., Denise Ann Vinet, Kevin Patrick Monahan, Raymond Charles Vinet, Vinet & Monahan, Baton Rouge, La., Bruce G. Mason, Annette E. Mason, Ross & Mason, Omaha, Neb., Thomas L. Toone, Beer & Toone, P.C., Phoenix, Ariz., William W. Cahill, Jr., Deborah G. Shortridge, Baltimore, Md., Garland W. Cravens, Jr., Frick & Powell, Evansville, Ind., Stephen T. Greer, Greer & Smith, Dunlap, Tenn., Steve Melvin, Carter & Melvin, Fayetteville, N.C., Dan Brown, Philip R. Douglas, Lawton, Okl., Paul H. Schietroma, Morris J. Eisen, P.C., New York City, Warren B. Siegal, Phoenix, Ariz., Arthur L. Pressman, Abraham, Pressman & Bauer, P.C., Gerald D. Garfinkle, Philadelphia, Pa., Ken Apgar, Gilbert H. Robinette, Bruce J. Babij, Robinette, Dugan, Seiden & Jakubowski, P.A., Baltimore, Md., Wendell H. Gauthier, Daniel G. Abel, Gauthier, Murphy, Sherman, McCabe & Chehardy, Metairie, La., Elliot G. Snellings, New Orleans, La., Gregory Sharky, Sharky & Sax, Lakewood, N.J., Sheldon Erlich, Loptin, Miller, Freedman, Bluestone Erlich, Rosen & Bartnick, Detroit, Mich., Joseph W. Moch, Grand Rapids, Mich., Massie Tillman, Law Offices of Massie Tillman, Fort Worth, Tex., Charles M. Jones, Jeffery L. Arnold, Jones, Osteen, Jones & Arnold, Hinesville, Ga., Charles E. Yankovich, Towson, Md., Don H. Johnson, Norris, Johnson, Placke & Foley, West Monroe, La., Harris C. Wilson, Jr., Sumter, S.C., George A. Kokus, Law Offices of George A. Kokus, Miami, Fla., Keith A. Jensen, Pratt & Callis, P.C., Granite City, Ill., Richard E. Gerstein, Bailey, Gerstein, Rashkind & Dresnick, Miami, Fla., Robert D. Jones, Fuches & Jones, Royal Palm Beach, Fla., Duane Anderson, Anderson, Moss, Russo, Gievers & Cohne, P.A., Miami, Fla., Neil Slocum, Goethals, Schimmel & Gaule, Las Vegas, Nev., Bruce G. Mason, Ross & Mason, P.C., Omaha, Neb., Paul Siegel, Sinclair, Louis, Siegel, Heath, Hussbaum & Zavertnik, P.A., Miami, Fla., for plaintiffs.

John J. Martin, Bigham, Englar, Jones & Houston, New York City, Edward H. Stopher, Boehl, Stopher, Graves & Deindoerfer, Louisville, Ky., Richard C. Roberts, E.F. Straub, Whitlow, Roberts, Houston & Russell, Paducah, Ky., Stephen C. Kenney, Roland R. Stevens, Thomas M. Frieder, Fisher & Hurst, San Francisco, Cal., Robert F. Ruckman, H. Dudley Chambers, David T. Moran, Bryan C. Collins, Jackson, Walker, Winstead, Cantwell & Miller, Dallas, Tex., J. Grant McCabe, III, Philadelphia, Pa., Michael R. Gallagher, Gallagher, Sharp, Fulton & Norman, Cleveland, Ohio, William T. Warner, Confliff, Sandmann, Gorman & Sullivan, Louisville, Ky., Michael B. McKinnis, Terrence J. O'Toole, Bryan, Cave, McPheeters & McRoberts, St. Louis, Mo., R.K. Christovich, New Orleans, La., Larry S. Kaplan, James F. Murphy, Conklin & Adler, Ltd., Norman J. Barry, Daniel Cummings, Rothschild, Barry & Myers, Chicago, Ill., Steven M. Edwards, Davis, Markel, Dwyer & Edwards, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle, New York City, Edgar A. Zingman, Robert C. Ewald, Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, Louisville, Ky., Richard F. Allen, David T. Hunter, Lane, Powell, Moss & Miller, Seattle, Wash., Fred Meyers, Denny Walters, Karr, Tuttle, Koch, Campbell, Mawer & Morrow, Seattle, Wash., William A. Pietragallo, Meyer, Darragh, Buckler, Bebenek & Eck, Pittsburgh, Pa., Michael Penick, Boehl, Stopher, Graves & Deindoerfer, Paducah, Ky., Samuel H. Franklin, Norman Jetmundsen, Jr., Bradley, Arant, Rose & White, Birmingham, Ala., Albert R. Vermeire, Monbleau, Vermeire & Turley, P.C., Phoenix, Ariz., Robert

Beshears, O'Connor, Cavanagh, Anderson, Westover, Killingsworth & Beshears, Phoenix, Ariz., Barry L. Davis, Thornton, David & Murray, P.A., Harry Weisberg, Miami, Fla., Diego A. Ramos, San Juan, P.R., Russell B. Holloway, A. Scott Johnson, Holloway, Dobson, Hudson & Bachman, Oklahoma City, Okl., Scott W. Pink, Michael R. Marron, Marron, Reid & Sheehy, San Francisco, Cal., Robert J. Dwyer, Bryan, Cave, McPheeters & McRoberts, New York City, Leonard E. Nagi, Zamplas, Paskin, Nagi, Baster, Johnson & Walker, P.C., Detroit, Mich., John R. Muth, Miller, Johnson, Snell & Cummiskey, Grand Rapids, Mich., and Tom Frieder, Fisher & Hurst, Robert W. Wilson, Evans & Dixon, Edwardsville, Ill., for defendants.

MEMORANDUM

JOHNSTONE, Chief Judge.

This matter is before the court on Defendants' Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on the issue of punitive damages. This is a consolidated case comprised of more than 90 claims for wrongful death stemming from the crash of Arrow Air flight 950 on December 12, 1985 in Gander, Newfoundland. In their Master Complaint and their Amended Master Complaint, Plaintiffs have alleged a cause of action under the Warsaw Convention and have claimed punitive as well as compensatory damages. Jurisdiction is proper under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1332.

I. FACTS

On December 12, 1985, an Arrow Air, Inc. DC-8 aircraft crashed on take-off from Gander International Airport, Gander, Newfoundland, killing all aboard. Plaintiffs' decedents were United States servicemen travelling from Cairo, United Arab Republic to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, with scheduled stops in Cologne, West Germany and Gander, Newfoundland. At the time of the accident the aircraft was being operated by defendant Arrow Air, Inc., pursuant to a contract between Arrow and the Multinational Peacekeeping Force.

II. MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON PUNITIVE DAMAGES

Plaintiffs have claimed punitive damages against Arrow Air, Inc. (Arrow) on the grounds that Arrow was guilty of reckless, wilful and wanton acts and omissions which evidenced a total and conscious disregard for the safety of its passengers. See Amended Master Complaint, paragraphs 37-40. The parties agree that Plaintiffs' claims are governed by the provisions of the Warsaw Convention¹ as modified by the Montreal Agreement.² See Defendants' Memorandum in Support of Motion for Summary Judgment at 2, Plaintiffs' Memorandum in Opposition of Summary Judgment. Defendants contend however that the Warsaw Agreement, as modified, does not allow recovery of punitive damages.

The court must begin its analysis of this matter by considering the text of the Warsaw Convention and the context in which its terms are used. Air France v. Saks, 470 U.S. 392, 105 S.Ct. 1338, 84 L.Ed.2d 289 (1985). The language of the Convention controls unless application of that language according to its obvious meaning would result in a holding inconsistent with the intent or expectations of the Convention's signatories. Sumitomo Shoji America, Inc. v. Avagliano, 457 U.S. 176, 180, 102 S.Ct. 2374, 2377, 72 L.Ed.2d 765 (1982). In cases of an inconsistent result, the Convention should be interpreted to best effectuate its evident purposes. See Reed v. Wiser, 555 F.2d 1079, 1088 (2d Cir.1977), cert. denied, 434 U.S. 922, 98 S.Ct. 399, 54 L.Ed. 2d 279 (1977).

A. THE TEXT OF THE CONVENTION

Article 17 of the Warsaw Convention establishes the liability of international air carriers for harm to passengers. See Air France v. Saks, 470 U.S. 392, 105 S.Ct. 1338, 1341, 84 L.Ed.2d 289 (1985); O'Rourke v. Eastern Airline, Inc., 730 F.2d 842, 853 (2d Cir.1...