The
lawsuit, which also names Horizon Air as a defendant, stems from
an in-flight emergency declared by the crew of Alaska Airlines
Flight 2059 over the Pacific Northwest while the aircraft was en
route from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco, on Oct 22.
The Alaska Airlines flight was operated by the group's regional
subsidiary Horizon Air.
The Stritmatter Firm, the law firm representing the three
passengers, told Reuters that it was the first lawsuit filed in
the incident. Alaska Airlines did not immediately respond to a
request for comment.
The suit was filed in Washington state court as a proposed
class-action complaint on behalf of all those who flew as
passengers aboard the aircraft.
The passengers in the lawsuit have asked for a public
explanation from Alaska Air and Horizon Air as to why the pilot
was not subjected to preflight security screening.
The lawsuit is seeking special and general damages in amounts to
be proved at a trial, including ticket fees, damages for
psychological injury, physical pain and suffering among others.
The suit also seeks injunctive relief mandating Alaska Airlines
and Horizon Air to conduct examinations of all anticipated
flight crew and jump seat passengers, including their "mental
health status".
Joseph David Emerson was the Alaska Airlines pilot who was
riding as a standby employee passenger in the cockpit "jump
seat". According to court documents, Emerson told police he had
struggled with depression for the past six months and had taken
"magic mushrooms" about 48 hours before boarding the plane.
Emerson ended up restrained by members of the cabin crew and was
arrested in Portland, Oregon, where the flight was diverted and
landed safely. The 44-year-old was charged with 83 counts of
attempted murder - one for every person aboard the plane besides
himself - and a single count of endangering an aircraft.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Reporting by Abinaya
Vijayaraghavan and Shubhendu Deshmukh in Bangalore; Additional
Reporting by Chandni Shah and Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru;)
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