News & Events
Gladstone Michel Wins Defense Verdict in Wrongful Death Case Involving Airport Crash
Gladstone Michel attorneys Arthur Willner and Amber McGovern recently obtained a defense verdict in a jury trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court in a wrongful death action arising out of the crash of a Cessna Citation Jet following takeoff from Van Nuys Airport. Art and Amber represented the charter company that operated the aircraft. The plaintiff was the surviving spouse of one of the two pilots, and claimed that the decedent had been flying as an independent contractor at the time of the accident. The case, which involved both product liability and piloting issues, was bifurcated with phase 1 focused on the issue of whether the deceased pilot was an employee or independent contractor of the operator. After deliberating less than two hours, the jury returned a unanimous verdict finding the pilot had been flying as an employee. Consequently, the plaintiff's claims were barred by California's Workers' Compensation Act.