How Much will Dr David Dao Sue United Airlines for?
The lawyer of Dr. David Dao, the United Airlines passenger who was dragged off his flight earlier this week, is preparing to sue the airline after his client suffered a broken nose and concussion and lost his two front teeth in the incident.
Atty. Thomas Demetrio revealed that United Airlines offered Dao $800 in compensation to give up his seat during their flight on Sunday evening. When his client refused, the airline's agents forcibly dragged him off the flight.
"You don't treat the people who help make you the corporate entity you are like Dr. Dao was treated," said Demetrio.
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When the agents approached Dao, they said they needed his seat and the seats of three other passengers for crew members who had to be in Louisville for a Monday flight to New Jersey. When Dao refused, three police officers from the Chicago Department of Aviation hauled him off until he was bloodied.
Currently, the officers who assaulted Dao are on leave while the aviation department conducts its own review of the incident. Meanwhile, Dao was discharged from the hospital on April 13 but still has to undergo reconstructive surgery after the incident left his nose broken.
Demetrio said they would file a lawsuit against both the airline and the city of Chicago.
"We're going to be vocal about the whole subject of what we as a society say passengers are entitled to," he said.
While Dao was not present during the news conference, Demetrio was able to provide a detailed account of his trauma, saying that United Airlines used "unreasonable force and violence" to remove his client from the overbooked plane.
After the incident, U.S. President Donald Trump asked airlines to reconsider the compensation they give to passengers who give up their seats. The U.S. Department of Transportation increased this amount in 2011 but also set a ceiling of $1,350.
