Law: The DC-10 Crash Sweepstakes

Air disasters make for big cases—and big rewards

When a DC-10 falls out of a clear blue sky and kills 275 people, as American Flight 191 did in Chicago last May, there is no doubt that the victims' families will be financially compensated for their loss. The multimillion-dollar question is how much. By last week, American Airlines and McDonnell Douglas, the manufacturers of the DC-10, had offered $30 million to the families of 112 victims if they would settle instead of go to court, and more settlement offers are forthcoming. What the airline and the...