American Airlines is being ordered to pay a couple $11 million following a lawsuit over an onboard medical emergency in 2021, Business Insider reports.
Following a two-year legal case in a California US District Court, a jury found that the airline's crew failed to follow proper protocols after a passenger fell ill on a flight from Miami to Madrid in November 2021.
According to court documents, Jesus Plasencia was traveling with his wife, Ana Maria Marcela Tavantzis, when he began showing signs of a stroke even before the plane left the gate in Miami. Plasencia's wife allegedly warned the flight crew, who "dismissed Tavantzis's concerns, joked with Plasencia, and cleared him for take-off."
Plasencia later suffered a stroke while the plane was over the Atlantic Ocean and was taken to a hospital upon landing in Spain. He was in critical condition for nearly a month before being returned to the U.S. by air ambulance.
The complaint claims that Plasencia can no longer speak or write and requires daily care as a result of the stroke. The couple argues the incident could have been avoided had American's crew members responded to their concerns prior to takeoff.
After the six-day trial, jurors ultimately found American negligent under the Montreal Convention pertaining to airline liability on international flights.
The jury awarded $13.28 million in damages but reduced the figure to $9.6 million after assigning partial responsibility to the plaintiffs. With interest, however, the final judgment totaled $11.06 million, according to Business Insider.
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