— Press Conference on Lawsuit to Be Held November 7, 2006 in Brasilia
CORRECTION…by Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP
NEW YORK–LAWFUEL – Class Actions Law News – Tenth graph, first sentence of release dated Nov. 5, 2006 should read: The press conference will occur in Brasilia at the Hotel San Marco, Sector Hoteleiro Sur – Quadra 5, BL: C, Auditorio Reservado Para Coletiva: LOB 01 – Terreo. (sted The press conference will occur at the Meliá Confort Brasilia, SHS Quadra 6 – Conj. A – Bl.D – Asa Sul – Brasilia DF, BRAZIL 70.316-000, Tel: (55) 61 32184700.).
The corrected release reads:
LIEFF CABRASER HEIMANN & BERNSTEIN, LLP, ANNOUNCES FAMILIES OF VICTIMS OF GOL AIRLINES FLIGHT 1907 ARE FILING SUIT AGAINST EXCELAIRE SERVICE AND HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL IN UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
— Press Conference on Lawsuit to Be Held November 7, 2006 in Brasilia
American law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein announced that family members of ten passengers on Gol Airlines Flight 1907 who were killed after the aircraft collided with an aircraft owned and operated by ExcelAire Service, Inc. (“ExcelAire”) are filing a lawsuit on Monday, November 6, 2006, in Federal court in New York City against ExcelAire and Honeywell International Inc. (“Honeywell”).
One hundred and forty eight passengers and six crew members died on September 29, 2006, when the Gol Airlines aircraft plunged nose-first into the Amazon rainforest after colliding with the ExcelAire aircraft. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages against ExcelAire and Honeywell for their negligence.
“Although official investigations of the Gol Airlines tragedy are ongoing, sufficient evidence presently exists to allege that negligence by ExcelAire and Honeywell were substantial factors contributing to the fatal collision,” stated Robert L. Lieff, founding partner of Lieff Cabraser.
Brazilian attorney Leornardo Amarante, whose law firm is working in partnership with Lieff Cabraser, commented, “The families of this horrible tragedy are asserting their rights under United States law against ExcelAire and Honeywell to ensure that all facts surrounding the accident are uncovered and that such a disaster is never repeated.”
Nigel Taylor, an attorney with Lieff Cabraser based in London and one of the most experienced aviation law attorneys in the world, stated, “This lawsuit holds out great hope for the victims’ families to hold all responsible parties accountable and obtain fair compensation. We have assembled a top notch, global team of attorneys and aviation experts to prosecute the case.”
Hans-Peter Graf, a veteran commercial pilot and former investigator in charge at the Swiss Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau who specializes in flight operation and human factors, has been retained by Lieff Cabraser to work on the case.
The complaint charges that the pilots of the ExcelAire jet were flying at an incorrect altitude at the time of the collision, failed to operate the jet’s transponder and radio equipment properly, and failed to maintain communication with Brazilian air traffic control in violation of international civil aviation standards. If the pilots of the ExcelAire aircraft had followed these standards, the collision would not have occurred.
At the time of the collision, the ExcelAire aircraft’s transponder was not functioning. A transponder is the component part that transmits a plane’s altitude and operates its automatic anti-collision system. Honeywell shares responsibility for the tragedy, the complaint alleges, because it defectively designed the transponder on the ExcelAire jet, and failed to warn of dangers resulting from foreseeable uses of the transponder.
Press Conference
On Tuesday, November 7, 2006, at 11 a.m. local time, Robert L. Lieff and Lexi Hazam will hold a press conference on the filing of the lawsuit, discuss their investigation of the Gol Airlines Flight 1907 accident and explain the grounds for the liability of ExcelAire and Honeywell. Family members of victims of the tragedy will participate in addition to Leonardo Amarante and Hans-Peter Graf.
The press conference will occur in Brasilia at the Hotel San Marco, Sector Hoteleiro Sur – Quadra 5, BL: C, Auditorio Reservado Para Coletiva: LOB 01 – Terreo. For further information on the press conference, please contact Lexi Hazam by email at lhazam@lchb.com.
About Lieff Cabraser
Lieff Cabraser is among the largest law firms in the United States that represents exclusively plaintiffs, and has been recognized by the prestigious National Law Journal for the last four consecutive years as one of the top plaintiffs’ law firms in America. Only two other law firms in the United States have received this honor for the last four years. Lieff Cabraser is the only firm recognized that practices aviation law.
The firm currently represents aviation accident victims in connection with, among others, the crash of a Helios plane in Greece in August, 2005, the crash of a China Eastern plane in November 2004 near Bautou, China, the crash of a Flash Air plane near Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt in January, 2004, the crash of an Air Algerie plane in Tamanrasset in March 2003, the crash of a Mandala plane near Medan, Indonesia in September 2005, the crash of a West Caribbean Airways plane in Venezuela in August 2005, and the crash of a Comair Airlines jet in Lexington, Kentucky in August 2006.
To learn more about Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, and our law firm’s experience in representing families of loved ones who died in aircraft accidents worldwide, please see visit www.globalaviationlaw.com or for information in Portuguese see http://www.globalaviationlaw.com/pdf/20061010_brochure_PORTUGUESE.pdf.
For information specific to the Gol Airlines accident, please see http://www.globalaviationlaw.com/golaccident-portuguese.htm.
Contact Information For Families
Families whose loved ones died in the Gol Airlines disaster are welcome to contact any of the following attorneys for information:
Lieff Cabraser attorney Lexi Hazam by email at lhazam@lchb.com or by cell phone at 001 415-806-2968, or Leornardo Amarante by email at amarante@leonardoamarante.com.br or directly at his office in Brazil:
Rua Primeiro de Marco, nº 23
5º andar
Centro – Rio de Janeiro
CEP: 20010.000
Telefax: 2507-4195
Information for families on their legal rights is available without charge or obligation and is provided in the strictest confidence.
Members of the media that wish to obtain a copy of the complaint should contact Stephen Cassidy at scassidy@lchb.com.
