American Airlines 5 millon dollar settlement

BigMac

Veteran
Feb 19, 2008
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TORNADO ALLEY
So if I'm reading this right..American agreed to rat out their One World partners ?


American Airlines has agreed to pay $5 million and provide evidence against other airlines to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by freight shippers who were victims of a price-fixing cartel.

A lawyer for the shippers, Michael Hausfeld, said Wednesday that American was the first airline to agree to help the shippers conduct other lawsuits outside the United States. He said Air France KLM, which said this month that it agreed to pay $87 million to settle its role in the same case, refused to offer its help.

Tim Wagner, a spokesman for Fort Worth-based AMR Corp., American's corporate parent, said the settlement avoids the cost of a trial.

"American Airlines has done nothing wrong, and the settlement makes clear that American is admitting no fault or liability," Wagner said.

According to the settlement agreement filed this week in federal district court in New York, the shippers and American agreed to settle in April 2009, and American has been cooperating for more than a year. American agreed to provide documents and witnesses.

U.S. and European officials investigated the airline industry's freight pricing and found that they conspired to fix cargo prices and fuel surcharges. According to the U.S. Justice Department, more than a dozen airlines have pleaded guilty and paid criminal fines totaling more than $1.6 billion.

Air France was fined $350 million, and British Airways and Korean Air were each fined $300 million.

Shippers who were overcharged are pursuing lawsuits in the U.S. and other countries. Hausfeld said Lufthansa, Air France, Japan Airlines and American have agreed to settle the U.S. case, and several other carriers were interested in starting negotiations.



Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/07/28/2368492/american-airlines-to-pay-5-million.html#ixzz0v4e6RqGS
 
Not guilty indeed. AA management is too busy screwing it to the staff to concentrate on anything more complicated. Bonus up!