(Image source: The Stir / Cafe Mom)


BY GARY COTTON
 
ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

We’ve heard of snakes on a plane, but what about cockroaches? A couple is suing Air Tran Airlines after a nasty surprise came out of their plane’s air vents. Here's WPVI...

“Harry Marsh and his fiance Kaitlin Rush were on a September 15th flight from Charlotte to Houston. Marsh took these pictures on the flight. The couple says flight attendants were too busy to investigate the problem, but as you can see, cockroaches everywhere.”

The couple said they had to throw away belongings and wash clothes for fear of infestation, and The Globe and Mail writes that the pair are more than ready for takeoff with this lawsuit.

It clearly helps that Mr. Marsh is a lawyer because the claim list against the airline covers just about every potential accusation: negligence and recklessness, infliction of emotional distress, nuisance, unfair and deceptive trade practices and false imprisonment …”

But are all those accusations valid, and are they worth six figures? The Huffington Post says this might be part of a growing trend in questionable airline lawsuits.

“Airlines have faced plenty of lawsuits recently, some more frivolous then others. A Continental passenger decided to sue the airline over turbulence in October while an Aeromexico passenger sued the airline for breaking his leg over the summer.”

Still, a blogger for The Stir says $100,000 sounds about right.

 
"It was wise of the victims to aim sort of low on the money scale -- had they asked for $2 million, they would've seemed greedy and out of touch. I mean cockroaches are vile, but they're not, like, bombs or anything."

And an analyst on CNN points out that, over the top or not, the case may never see a courtroom.

“They’re suing for $100,000. Is that outrageous? I don’t know if that’s so outrageous. [FLASH] It’s a chunk of change, but it’s never going to trial. This is a case that’s going to settle, and bottom line is, I foresee a lot of free flights for this couple … ”

Air Tran has denied several of the charges, saying its planes are cleaned regularly.




 

U.S. News

Couple Sues Airline for Cockroach Infestation

November 16, 2011
(2:02)
A couple is suing Air Tran for $100,000 after cockroaches crawled through air vents during their flight.
   
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