The United Airlines passenger who was bloodied and dragged down the aisle of a plane after refusing to give up his seat has reached a settlement with the carrier and will not sue the city, attorneys for the passenger said Thursday.
Dr. David Dao, 69, of Elizabethtown, Ky., was one of four passengers on an April 9 flight leaving O’Hare International Airport who were picked to be involuntarily bumped to make room for airline employees. When Dao refused to leave the plane, the airline called in Chicago Aviation Department officers, who dragged him off the flight.
Dao suffered a concussion, broken nose and sinus injury, according to his attorney Thomas Demetrio, who had said he considered both the city and Chicago-based United responsible for the incident.
Dao’s attorneys declined to disclose the amount of the settlement.
“(United CEO Oscar Munoz) said he was going to do the right thing, and he has,” Demetrio said. “In addition, United has taken full responsibility for what happened on Flight 3411, without attempting to blame others, including the city of Chicago. For this acceptance of corporate accountability, United is to be applauded.”
In a statement, United said it was pleased to report the “amicable resolution of the unfortunate incident that occurred aboard Flight 3411.”
The settlement also releases the city and Republic Airlines, which operated Dao’s United Express flight, from liability.
“No one else in the entire world is going to be sued by Dr. Dao,” Demetrio said in a statement.
“United Airlines has accepted full responsibility for what occurred on Flight 3411. There is no need to proceed with a separate lawsuit against the city. United has stepped up to the plate and hit a home run,” Demetrio said.
City Aviation Department spokeswoman Lauren Huffman did not respond to questions about the United settlement.
The settlement was announced the same day United detailed promised policy changes aimed at preventing similar situations, part of a broader internal review of what happened on Dao’s flight and the airline’s policies on oversold flights announced after the airline was initially criticized for being slow to apologize.
United pledged to limit use of law enforcement to remove passengers from flights to safety and security issues, reduce overbooking, provide additional employee training and pay passengers on overbooked flights up to $10,000 to volunteer for a later flight.
lzumbach@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @laurenzumbach
