Aviation attorney Steven Marks of Podhurst Orseck successfully pursued a multi-national litigation strategy on behalf of families of victims who died in the tragic 2002 mid-air collision between a Russian airline and a DHL plane over Germany. The key victory came in Spain against U.S. aviation equipment manufacturers Honeywell and ACSS, where Marks utilized The Hague Treaty on Product Liability to ensure U.S. law applied. This strategy resulted in a precedent-setting $14.5 million verdict—the first time a U.S. manufacturer was held liable in Europe for such an event. The investigation found the collision, which killed all 71 people aboard the two aircraft, was caused by conflicting instructions from the American-made collision warning system and Swiss air traffic control company Skyguide, who were also found liable in separate, smaller judgments.
