Aviation Litigation 101: Facts and Fiction

Moderator Frederick Alimonti, joined by distinguished aviation law practitioners Abram I. Bohrer, Daniel O. Rose, and John Maggio, shares insights and experiences in aviation litigation.

The panel addresses the various components of aviation litigation. Among the myths Alimonti, Bohrer, Rose, and Maggio confront is the notion that aviation litigation is necessarily a highly specialized and technical area of the law. While this is true for certain cases, the majority of aviation litigation cases would be very familiar to the tort practitioner, often sounding in premises liability, product liability, or turning on the interpretation of contractual agreements.

Indeed, the focus of this walk through exemplar aviation litigation topics and cases will likely expand your appreciation for the breadth of cases and issues that can arise in the context of "aviation litigation." These include laws and treaties related to international travel by air; concepts of federalism and preemption, product liability, choice and conflicts of law, and insurance and indemnity – just to name a few. So "come on in, the air is fine," and explore the surprisingly broad practice area of "Aviation Litigation." 

1. Understand the four common types of aviation cases/disputes: airline, product liability, general aviation, and insurance coverage and indemnity analysis
2. Dispel the myth that all aviation cases are hyper-technical and require engineering or piloting experience
3. Examine a variety of concepts encountered in handling aviation litigation, including international law, federal regulatory law, local and state tort law, contract interpretation, and premises liability
4. Review noteworthy and recent cases affecting the broad umbrella of law we refer to as aviation litigation