Aviation, Complex Litigation & Class Actions

Podhurst Orseck continues a legal practice established over fifty years ago, concentrating exclusively in trial and appellate litigation. The firm is dedicated to offering the highest caliber legal representation in both federal and state trial and appellate courts.

The firm′s commercial practice focuses on complex civil litigation of all types. The firm serves as general litigation counsel to several major corporations as well as representing companies and individuals in substantial matters of commercial litigation. The firm’s general tort practice places a major emphasis upon representing claimants in aviation, mass torts and products liability litigation. From its inception, the firm also has cultivated an appellate practice, handling appeals of not only the firm′s trial lawyers, but of other lawyers throughout the nation, in various state and federal appellate courts, including the United States Supreme Court. The firm′s practice serves clients residing or based throughout the United States, and in several foreign countries.

Nationally Recognized Aviation Litigation Practice

Our aviation litigation attorneys have acted as lead counsel, appointed court counsel and/or counsel representing victims in a number of commercial major airline crashes, including: acting as lead Plaintiffs’ counsel in the American Airlines Flight 331, crash in Jamaica, 2010; acting as co–lead trial counsel for the California State Court plaintiffs after a Silk Air crash between Jakarta and Singapore in 1997; acting as lead liaison counsel for the State Court and Federal multi–district litigation (MDL) plaintiffs′ steering committees over the ValuJet Flight 592 crash, Everglades, 1996, and acting as a member of the MDL plaintiff′s steering committee for the Arrow Air military charter crash, Newfoundland, 1985.

Podhurst Orseck has handled many major commercial airline crashes and accidents which include, among others:

View list of crashes and accidents we have handled
  • Metrojet Flt. 9268, from Egypt, en route to Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2015;
  • Malaysian Airlines, disappearance of Flight MH370, from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, China, 2014;
  • Gulfstream IV, crash Hanscom Field Airport, Bedford Massachusetts, 2014;
  • Alitalia Flight AZ631, turbulence accident, Miami, Florida to Fiumicino/Rome Airport, 2013;
  • Robinson R-44 crash in West Kendall, Florida, 2013;
  • IBC Airways, Flight 405, crash La Alianza, Puerto Rico, 2013;
  • Dana Air, Flight 992, crash Abuja, Nigeria, 2012;
  • Central American Airways Flight 731, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 2011;
  • Monarch Air, charter flight, crash Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Nassau, Bahamas, 2010;
  • Conviasa Airlines, Flight 2350, Bolivar, Venezuela, 2010;
  • Aires Airlines Flight 8250, San Andres Island, Colombia, 2010;
  • Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, Mediterranean Sea, 2010;
  • American Airlines Flight 331, Kingston, Jamaica, 2009;
  • Air France Flight 447, Atlantic Ocean, 2009;
  • Colgan Air – Continental, Flight 3407, Buffalo, New York, 2009;
  • American Airlines, Flight 908, turbulence accident Buenos Aries, Argentina to Miami, Florida, 2008;
  • Aeroflot-Nord, Flight 821, Perm Airport, Russia, 2008;
  • SpanAir, Flight 5022, Barajas Airport, Spain, 2008;
  • TACA Airlines, Flight 390, Tegucigalpa,Honduras, 2008;
  • Santa Barbara Airlines, S.A., Flight 518, near Merida, Venezuela, 2008;
  • TAM Airlines, Flight 3054, Congonhas Airport, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2007;
  • Comair Flight 5191 on take off from Lexington, Kentucky, 2006;
  • Sibir Airlines Flight 778 from Moscow Russia, 2006;
  • GOL Airlines, Flight 1907, mid–air collision in the Amazon, Brazil 2006;
  • Chalk′s Ocean Airways Flight 101 air disaster, Miami, FL, 2005;
  • Helios Airways air disaster near Cyprus, 2005;
  • Tropical Air, LET 410, Cap Haitian, Haiti, 2003;
  • mid–air collision over German airspace involving Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 and DHL Flight 611, 2002;
  • American Airlines, Flight 11, Terrorist attack on World Trade Center, North Tower 1, Manhattan, New York City, New York, 2001;
  • United Airlines, Flight 175, Terrorist attack on World Trade Center, South Tower 2, Manhattan, New York City, New York, 2001;
  • American Airlines, Flight 77, Terrorist attack on United States Pentagon Building, West Wall, Arlington County, Virginia, 2001;
  • American Airlines, Flight 587, crash in Belle Harbor, Queens, N.Y., 2001;
  • Papillon Airways, Inc. Eurocopter AS350–B2 helicopter in the Grand Canyon, AZ, 2001;
  • Scandinavian Airlines at Linate Airport, Milan, Italy, 2001;
  • Air France Concorde tragedy 2000;
  • Bell Helicopter BH 407 in Brazil, 1999;
  • Cubana Air, Flight 3010, YAK–42, Valencia, Venezuela, 1999;
  • TAESA Airlines Flight 725 from Uruapan, Michoacan, Mexico, 1999;
  • Hot Air Expeditions, near Cave Creek, AZ, 1999;
  • Occidental Petroleum′s chartered Boeing 737 in Peru′s northern jungle, 1998;
  • American Airlines, Flight 1420, Little Rock, Arkansas, 1999;
  • TAME Flight 422 near Bogota, Colombia, 1998;
  • Swissair, Flight 111, Atlantic Ocean near Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1998;
  • Silk Air, Flight MI185, Palembang, Indonesia, 1997;
  • Fine Air, Flight 101, Miami, FL, 1997;
  • Bell 407 helicopter in the Andros Islands, 1996;
  • Millon Air Flight 406 en route to Miami, Florida from Manta, Ecuador, 1996;
  • ValuJet, Flight 592, Florida Everglades, 1996;
  • Aero–Peru Flight 603 en route to Santiago, Chile from Lima, Peru, 1996;
  • Aviation Development Corp. Airlines, Nigeria, 1996;
  • Tarom Airlines, Flight R0371, Bucharest, Romania, 1995;
  • El Al cargo, Amsterdam, Holland, 1992;
  • Surinam Airways Flight PY764 in Paramaribo, Surinam, 1989;
  • Grand Canyon Airlines, Grand Canyon National Park Airport, AZ, 1989;
  • Independent Air Flight 1851, Bergamo, Italy, 1989.

Our aviation litigation attorneys are frequently consulted by major news media to comment on aviation accidents such as the recent landing mishap of Asiana Flight 214 in San Francisco.

Award-Winning Litigation Team

Podhurst Orseck’s legal practice spans state and federal courts nationally and locally in Florida, representing individuals, corporations and a number of foreign governments.

The firm has been recognized by the National Law Journal, as one of only ten firms on its “Litigation Boutiques Hot List” and has garnered numerous other awards and recognition .

Podhurst Orseck’s commercial litigation attorneys constitute another facet of legal practice.  During 2011 alone, the firm claimed $1.63 billion in commercial litigation settlements and judgments.   Aaron Podhurst served as co-lead counsel in multidistrict litigation concerning bank overdraft fees in Miami federal court and was pivotal in securing a $410 million dollar settlement with Bank of America in November of 2011, one of the largest settlements ever recorded in a consumer case.

The firm continues to represent notable mass plaintiff classes, including hundreds of former football players in pending multidistrict litigation against the National Football League over concussive head injuries and other injuries sustained during play.

The firm has consistently maintained an AV-Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest possible rating, based on legal ability and ethical standards.