411: JetBlue and Apple Inc. Lawsuits – Aronberg & Aronberg

In this blog, we’d like to let you know about two recent lawsuits that involve JetBlue and Apple Inc., respectively, as the defendants. Reading this blog (and others on our page) will keep you current with the world of personal injury lawsuits. You can make yourself aware of what types of lawsuits are being filed and what the damages are in each of the cases. You may very well find yourself in a similar predicament, and instead of just brushing off your hardship as “life,” you will be knowledgeable about what you can do to rectify the situation.

We told you late last year about incidents involving a number of JetBlue airplanes on October 29th, 2011, to be exact. On that day, there was a rapidly harshening Atlantic low-pressure system that was causing major problems for air travel in North America, specifically in the northeastern part of the United States. JetBlue was forced to divert six NY-bound airplanes to Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Connecticut. Now, a number of passengers from some of those planes have filed a lawsuit against JetBlue Airways Corporation and are seeking class action status for the suit. The lawsuit has been filed by the plaintiffs on behalf of the passengers that were stranded on the tarmac at the Hartford airport.

This is not a case of a bunch of whiny passengers who didn’t get the seat they wanted—this is a case that could borderline on corporate abuse of consumers. The stories from passengers on board the planes that day are horrifying. People were stranded in the JetBlue airplanes for up to 7.5 hours! In addition to the excruciating wait on the tarmac, the passengers had to deal with rolling blackouts which shut-off the electricity on the plane (which, in turn, cut their air conditioning and ventilation). In addition to the blackouts, the passengers had to deal with backed-up toilets (which made the already disgusting aircraft toilets even less bearable). Furthermore, the crews ran out of water and food for the already distressed, irritated, tired, hungry, cranky and thirsty passengers. Imagine the horror. Now, the lawsuit is alleging that JetBlue was negligent in their treatment of the passengers. In addition, the lawsuit includes allegations of false imprisonment and negligent infliction of emotional distress. We will keep you current on this lawsuit.

In the second lawsuit, Apple Inc., the world-renowned company behind the Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc., is facing a possible antitrust class-action lawsuit having to do with the exclusive deal it struck with AT&T. The issue is that Apple allegedly entered into a secret 5-year contract with AT&T, allowing AT&T to be the sole carrier that would support the iPhone. As a stipulation of the contract, it was determined that Apple would share in AT&T’s profit. However, the secret deal duped iPhone customers into being stuck with AT&T—or pay to register a new phone with a new network, thereby losing their money on their hefty iPhone investment. The lawsuit targets Apple for their unfair business practices and hopes to yield some compensation for customers who suffered financial losses as a result.

For any more information on these lawsuits, or any other potential or current personal injury cases, please contact us at 561-266-9191 or daronberg@build.simple.biz.

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