COSTS AND COMPENSATION PAID IN AVIATION ACCIDENT LITIGATION

In 1985, RANDs Institute for Civil Justice undertook a comprehensive study of aviation accident death cases. Through the cooperation of plaintiff and defense attorneys, defendants, and insurers, the RAND research staff has complete access to the detailed records of more than 2,000 cases--the entire population of U.S. airline major aviation accident death cases from 1970 to 1984. This report describes the characteristics of the decedents and the litigation, provides data on compensation paid and litigation costs, and compares the transactions costs with the amount of compensation paid for aviation accident and other types of tort cases. The study found that from the average total compensation of $363,000 received in the mass aviation accident cases that involved U.S. airlines between 1970 and 1984, the plaintiffs paid $72,000 in legal fees and related expenses and took home $291,000 in net compensation. Defendants; litigation expenditures amounted to $49,000 per death. The combined litigation expenditures for both sides totaled $121,000 per death. Thus, of the total $421,000 in expenditures per death, the plaintiff received 71 percent in net compensation, and 29 percent went for transaction costs.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0833009095
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This research is supported by the Institute of Civil Justice.
• Corporate Authors:

  RAND Corporation

  1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138
  Santa Monica, CA  United States  90407-2138
• Authors:
  • Kakalik, J S
  • King, E M
  • Traynor, M
  • Ebener, P A
  • Picus, L
• Publication Date: 1988

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 150 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Attorneys; Aviation safety; Costs; Courts; Crash victims; Data collection; Fatalities; Legal factors; Litigation; Passenger aircraft; Tort liability
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Finance; Law; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00782515
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0833009095
• Report/Paper Numbers: R-3421-ICJ
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 27 2000 12:00AM