David Dao Files Court Papers Against United
Dr. David Dao, 69, has officially filed court papers against United Airlines after being violently dragged out of his seat by authorities on a plane last Sunday.
According to NBC, the Kentucky-based physician filed an emergency "bill of discovery" against United on Wednesday, demanding that video footage and other evidence of the incident be "preserved and protected." This reportedly includes "all surveillance videos, cockpit voice recordings, passenger and crew lists, incident reports and other items." Court papers suggest that Dao "currently has no access" to any of these, and believes that he will face "serious prejudice" in his case against United if they are not safeguarded.
Wednesday's court filings were the first legal move that Dao has made against United since video of his violent removal from an "overbooked" flight went viral earlier this week. As previously reported, airline personnel on the flight bound for Louisville from Chicago had asked for passenger volunteers to give up their seats so that several United employees could make their connecting flights the next day.
Despite offers of compensation, staffers were unable to find any volunteers, and eventually picked four passengers at random to give up their seats. Three of these passengers willingly left the plane, but the fourth, Dao, refused after claiming he had early meetings with his patients the next day.
Personnel on the plane then called authorities, who forcefully removed Dao from the plane, slamming his head into the armrest before dragging him down the aisle. As of Tuesday, Dao was still recovering from his injuries at a local hospital in Chicago.
Dao's family and two lawyers, corporate law specialist Stephen Golan and prominent personal injury lawyer Thomas Demetri, are expected to hold a press conference regarding the incident on Thursday morning.
Follow Gina on Twitter.
You Might Also Like
