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Jury awards airline passenger $400,000
boston.com ^ | 01/16/07 | Shelley Murphy

Posted on 01/16/2007 6:43:19 AM PST by Ellesu

A federal jury has ordered American Airlines to pay $400,000 to a computer consultant who was pulled from a flight at Logan International Airport because of security concerns, then denied reboarding even after he had been cleared by State Police. "I felt like I was being treated like a terrorist and there was no way I could prove I didn't do anything or say anything at all," said John Cerqueira , 39, who grew up in Fall River and now lives in Miami. "I'm grateful to the jury for sending the message to American Airlines that just the use of the word security isn't an excuse for unlawful behavior."

(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; US: Massachusetts; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: americanairlines; discrimination; flightsafety; passenger; wot
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To: eraser2005

Oop - just caught one possible error - same name, same employer - but the stories differ on age....

So it **could** be the same guy....


21 posted on 01/16/2007 7:10:53 AM PST by eraser2005
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To: RadioAstronomer

How's your vette coming?


22 posted on 01/16/2007 7:11:03 AM PST by saganite (Billions and billions and billions-------and that's just the NASA budget!)
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To: eraser2005
FYI - if you looked up a little about this guy, you'd see another reason for him to be po'd...

I understand why he is po'd, but to send a message to airlines that you can't kick off people who act suspiciously sends a message to terrorists that it is once again open season on airlines.

23 posted on 01/16/2007 7:11:32 AM PST by Always Right
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To: eraser2005

I can understand him being ticked but unless you're Bill Gates missing a plane *cant* cost you nearly that much..


24 posted on 01/16/2007 7:11:55 AM PST by N3WBI3 ("Help me out here guys: What do you do with someone who wont put up or shut up?" - N3WBI3)
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To: All
And just how much did the slimy lawyer get?

Fare increases, coming to a neighborhood near you.
25 posted on 01/16/2007 7:12:36 AM PST by excalibur1701
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To: Peach

They can start their own airline. It would be great. I am sure someone could build a commercial drone. They could fly unharrassed, yet they couldn't kill us because they are fanatical idiots. It is a win-win scenario!


26 posted on 01/16/2007 7:12:48 AM PST by WV Mountain Mama (2007 resolution: learn how to rail a berm.)
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To: saganite

Being upgraded. :-)

Adding a supercharger. 550 RWHP is my goal. :-)


27 posted on 01/16/2007 7:13:08 AM PST by RadioAstronomer
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To: Ellesu

After reading the article, this guy deserves the award he got. He was detained and interrogated for 2 hours for simply accidentally being next to the suspicious passengers. After he was cleared by the police, who even told him that he was unfortunate to have been next to these two, he should have been allowed on the flight. American Airlines was clearly in the wrong, but persisted in denying him travel home. AA should have been hit with a bigger verdict, IMHO. I am shocked that so many people here have this knee-jerk reaction that this was some kind of muslim-placating court decision when that was completely irrelevant to the case! Read the article. This was an innocent American citizen who was denied flying for no justifiable reason! People on that flight probably thought he was a terrorism suspect and he will have to live people thinking that of him. By denying him a seat on that flight, the airline simply confirmed what people on that flight were thinking - he's a bad guy. That's wrong.


28 posted on 01/16/2007 7:14:27 AM PST by doc30 (Democrats are to morals what an Etch-A-Sketch is to Art.)
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To: RadioAstronomer

Scary! ;^)


29 posted on 01/16/2007 7:15:05 AM PST by saganite (Billions and billions and billions-------and that's just the NASA budget!)
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To: eraser2005
FYI - if you looked up a little about this guy, you'd see another reason for him to be po'd... He was in the North Tower on the 81st floor when it was struck - he and a coworker helped a woman in a wheelchair down 68 floors.

So what? I don't see what that has to do with anything.

30 posted on 01/16/2007 7:16:43 AM PST by Elyse (I refuse to feed the crocodile.)
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To: Always Right

In what way did he act suspiciously? Unless of course sitting next to Middle Eastern looking folks (who happened to be Israeli) is suspicious in your book.


31 posted on 01/16/2007 7:17:54 AM PST by saganite (Billions and billions and billions-------and that's just the NASA budget!)
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To: Always Right
I understand why he is po'd, but to send a message to airlines that you can't kick off people who act suspiciously sends a message to terrorists that it is once again open season on airlines.

Read the article. He was not acting suspiciously. He was sitting next to the people who were. So you think it is OK to get booted from a flight because of who sits next to you? Then everyone will make the mistake you did. You will be labeled suspicious. Simple guilt by association. SO what if you never met those sitting next to you. You are just a s guilty as them because you are sitting next to them!

32 posted on 01/16/2007 7:18:14 AM PST by doc30 (Democrats are to morals what an Etch-A-Sketch is to Art.)
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To: eraser2005

said John Cerqueira , 39,

man in your article posted was 22 y/o.


33 posted on 01/16/2007 7:19:27 AM PST by Ellesu
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To: Nevernow

Keep doubting it will happen. Apparently you haven't heard how the UK is spending millions of dollars to change which way the toilets in prison face. The Muslim prisoners were upset that so many toilets faced Mecca.


34 posted on 01/16/2007 7:19:59 AM PST by Peach (The Clintons pardoned more terrorists than they captured or killed.)
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To: Elyse

It doesn't.

The Airline was wrong IMHO and I would sue their asses off if it had been me.

Like I said, I think the award should have been larger.


35 posted on 01/16/2007 7:20:44 AM PST by RadioAstronomer
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To: Elyse

It doesn't.

The Airline was wrong IMHO and I would sue their asses off if it had been me.

Like I said, I think the award should have been larger.


36 posted on 01/16/2007 7:20:45 AM PST by RadioAstronomer
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To: doc30
I am shocked that so many people here have this knee-jerk reaction that this was some kind of muslim-placating court decision when that was completely irrelevant to the case!

My response is not a knee-jerk reaction that this was some kind of muslim-placating court decision. I think that this guy deserves some kind of compensation and I'm sure that AA tried to settle this out of court for a much smaller sum. NOONE deserves $400,000 for being detained for two hours and refused a flight! It's ridiculous!

37 posted on 01/16/2007 7:21:58 AM PST by Elyse (I refuse to feed the crocodile.)
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To: saganite

hehe! I love my Vette. I already added 14" crossdrilled and slotted rotors to all four wheels, a CAI intake, Ceramic tunnel plate, carbon driveshaft, black chrome wheels, SS catback, etc.

After the supercharger, I an going to beef-up the rear end with hardened steel splines and shafts. (It is already a limited slip diff). May also have the heads custom polished and rebuilt with SS and titanium. :-)

Lasty, I am thinking of putting 220/220 stealth cam in her.


38 posted on 01/16/2007 7:28:02 AM PST by RadioAstronomer
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To: Ellesu

I am both insulted and in awe of how stupid this is.
Profiling is the single most effective means to protect our country with the resources available.
Taking this tool away is surrendering to the enemy.


39 posted on 01/16/2007 7:29:44 AM PST by BuffaloJack
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To: RadioAstronomer
You just don't treat folks like that.

PERIOD!

I've been treated badly by businesses in the past, and have made subsequent purchasing decisions with those incidents in mind.

It has never occurred to me to sue the company.

I guess I don't have a sufficient level of "outrage" to be an appropriately modern man.

40 posted on 01/16/2007 7:30:43 AM PST by Trailerpark Badass
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