German Airline Could Face 'unlimited' Damages For Alps Crash

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Lufthansa could face "unlimited" compensation claims for the crash that killed 150 people in the French alps and it would be difficult, even counterproductive, for the German carrier to try to avoid liability, experts said Friday. Under a treaty governing deaths and injuries aboard international flights, airlines are required to compensate relatives of victims for proven damages of up to a limit currently set at about $157,000 — regardless of what caused the crash. Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr on Thursday said the airline would honor "international arrangements regulating liability" and noted that it already has offered immediate financial aid to anyone requiring. Damages are typically much lower in Europe than in the U.S., where in domestic air crashes, juries have awarded plaintiffs sometimes millions of dollars per passenger. Article 33 of the Montreal Convention states that a passenger's "principal and permanent residence" is used to determine jurisdiction for lawsuits regarding passenger deaths or injuries.

 

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