Washington
Seat belt saved passenger’s life on Boeing 737 jet that suffered a blowout, new lawsuit says
SEATTLE (AP) — More passengers who were aboard an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 jet when part of its fuselage blew out in January are suing — including one who says his life was saved by a seat belt.
The latest lawsuit, representing seven passengers, was filed in Washington’s King County Superior Court Thursday against Boeing, Alaska Airlines, Spirit AeroSystems and 10 people listed as John Does.
Cuong Tran, of Upland, California, was sitting in the row behind where the side of the aircraft tore away and left a door-sized hole on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on Jan. 5, according to a news release from attorney Timothy A. Loranger. Loranger, who filed the lawsuit, said air rushed out of the hole, pulling on Tran and others nearby.
The suction tore Tran’s shoes and socks from his feet and he felt his body lift off his seat, the news release said, adding that Tran’s foot was hurt when it was jerked into the seat structure in front of him.
“Our clients — and likely every passenger on that flight — suffered unnecessary trauma due to the failure of Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems, and Alaska Airlines to ensure that the aircraft was in a safe and airworthy condition,” Loranger said.
The lawsuit seeks punitive, compensatory and general damages for alleged negligence, product construction/manufacturing defect liability and failing in its duty to protect passengers from harm.
Boeing responded to an email Thursday seeking comment saying, “We have nothing to add.” Alaska Airlines and Spirit AeroSystems didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
The first six minutes of the flight from Portland, Oregon, to Southern California’s Ontario International Airport had been routine, the Boeing 737 Max 9 about halfway to its cruising altitude and traveling at more than 400 mph (640 kph). Then the piece of fuselage covering an inoperative emergency exit behind the left wing blew out.
The pilots made an emergency landing back where they started in Portland. No one was seriously hurt.
Another lawsuit against Boeing and Alaska Airlines was filed last month on behalf of 22 other passengers on the flight, also accusing the companies of negligence.
In a preliminary report last month, the National Transportation Safety Board said four bolts that help keep the door plug in place were missing after the panel was removed so workers could repair nearby damaged rivets last September. The rivet repairs were done by contractors working for Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems.
Boeing, under increased scrutiny since the incident, has acknowledged in a letter to Congress that it cannot find records for work done on the door panel of the Alaska Airlines plane.
The Department of Justice has also launched a criminal investigation. The probe would assist the department’s review of whether Boeing complied with a settlement that resolved a federal investigation into the safety of its 737 Max aircraft after two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019.
Georgia
College swimmers, volleyball players sue NCAA over transgender policies
ATLANTA (AP) — Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was among more than a dozen college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on Thursday, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing transgender woman Lia Thomas to compete at the national championships in 2022.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, details the shock Gaines and other swimmers felt when they learned they would have to share a locker room with Thomas at the championships in Atlanta. It documents a number of races they swam in with Thomas, including the 200-yard final in which Thomas and Gaines tied for fifth but Thomas, not Gaines, was handed the fifth-place trophy.
Thomas swam for Pennsylvania. She competed for the men’s team at Penn before her gender transition.
Another plaintiff, Tylor Mathieu of Florida, finished ninth in the preliminary heats of the 500 free, which left her one spot from swimming in the final that Thomas would go on to win. Thomas was the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title in any sport, finishing in front of three Olympic medalists for the championship. By not making the final, Mathieu was denied first-team All-American honors in that event.
Other plaintiffs included athletes from volleyball and track.
The lawsuit said the plaintiffs “bring this case to secure for future generations of women the promise of Title IX that is being denied them and other college women” by the NCAA.
“College sports are the premier stage for women’s sports in America, and while the NCAA does not comment on pending litigation, the Association and its members will continue to promote Title IX, make unprecedented investments in women’s sports and ensure fair competition in all NCAA championships,” the NCAA said in a statement.
Critics contend transgender athletes have an advantage over cisgender women in competition, though extensive research is still generally lacking on elite athletics and virtually nonexistent when it comes to determining whether, for instance, a sophomore transgender girl has a clear advantage over her cisgender opponents or teammates.
In 2022, the NCAA followed the lead of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and revised its policies on transgender athlete participation to attempt to align with national sports governing bodies.
The third phase of the revised policy adds national and international sports governing body standards to the NCAA’s rules and is scheduled to be implemented for the 2024-25 school year.
The lawsuit also lists the University of Georgia system as a defendant because one of its schools, Georgia Tech, hosted the 2022 championships. The suit seeks to halt the NCAA from employing its transgender eligibility policies “which adversely impact female athletes in violation of Title IX” at upcoming events being held in Georgia.
Representatives from the Georgia schools said they had not been served with the lawsuit and would not comment.
Texas
Woman accuses Dak Prescott of sexual assault after Cowboys QB sues her on extortion claim
DALLAS (AP) — A woman accusing Dak Prescott of sexual assault has filed a police report over the alleged incident in 2017 after the star quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys sued her on a $100 million extortion claim.
Dallas police said Thursday there was an ongoing investigation after a report was filed earlier this week about an alleged sexual assault that occurred in the parking lot of a strip club in early 2017.
Prescott’s attorneys filed the extortion lawsuit in Collin County, north of Dallas, on Monday. Prescott has denied the woman’s allegation.
According to the lawsuit, the woman and her attorneys wrote Prescott a letter in which they said the woman wouldn’t pursue criminal charges or go public with her claims if Prescott paid her $100 million.
An attorney representing Prescott met last week with police in Prosper, where Prescott lives, and said his client was a possible victim of extortion, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Prescott is seeking $1 million in damages in his lawsuit against the woman and her attorneys. Prescott’s attorney, Levi McCathern, said the quarterback has never had non-consensual sex with anyone.
“Sexual assault is a despicable crime that no person should ever endure,” the lawsuit said. “Defendants’ false claims in this regard undermine the courage of actual sexual assault survivors everywhere as well as the legitimacy of the horrific traumas they have endured.”
The woman told Dallas television station WFAA the incident happened in the back of an SUV after she left the bar where she worked with Prescott and some of his friends.
“It’s kind of embarrassing to be honest,” the woman said. “But I didn’t ask for that. I didn’t ask for this to happen to me.”
Yoel Zehaie, one of the woman’s attorneys, said Prescott’s extortion lawsuit was “a smoke screen to distract from the real topic that should be discussed. And that is that a rape was committed by Dak Prescott.”
Prescott has been the starter for the Cowboys all eight of his seasons, taking over after Tony Romo’s preseason injury. He was the 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and has made three Pro Bowls.
During the 2023 season, Prescott was the reigning NFL Man of the Year for his charitable work.
Wyoming
Pierce Brosnan pleads guilty to walking off trail at Yellowstone hot springs, must pay $1,500 fine
MAMMOTH, Wyo. (AP) — Actor Pierce Brosnan, who pleaded guilty Thursday to stepping off a trail in a thermal area during a November visit to Yellowstone National Park, was caught after posting pictures online, court records said.
Brosnan, who called in to the court hearing in Mammoth, Wyoming, was fined $500 and ordered to make a $1,000 donation by April 1 to Yellowstone Forever, a nonprofit organization that supports the park, court records said. Prosecutors had recommended a $5,000 fine and a two-year probationary sentence.
A second petty offense, for violating closures and use limits, was dismissed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie Hambrick.
The actor issued an apology on his Instagram account Thursday, saying he “made an impulsive mistake” and calling himself an environmentalist with “the utmost respect for and love of our natural world.”
“I deeply regret my transgression and offer my heartfelt apologies to all for trespassing in this sensitive area. Yellowstone and all our National Parks are to be cared for and preserved for all to enjoy,” Brosnan wrote.
He did not see a “no trespassing” sign when entering the thermal area to take a photo and did not hike in the immediate area, he wrote.
Brosnan ended the message with “#StayOnThePath.”
Brosnan, 70, walked in an off-limits area at Mammoth Terraces, in the northern part of Yellowstone near the Wyoming-Montana line, on Nov. 1, according to citations issued by the park. He was in the park on a personal visit and not for film work, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Wyoming has said.
However, he uploaded images of himself standing in the snow on the thermal feature to his Instagram page, court records said.
Mammoth Terraces is a scenic spot of mineral-encrusted hot springs bubbling from a hillside. They are just some of the park’s hundreds of thermal features, which range from spouting geysers to gurgling mud pots, with water at or near the boiling point.
Going out-of-bounds in such areas can be dangerous: Some of the millions of people who visit Yellowstone each year get badly burned by ignoring signs warning them not to stray off the trail.
Getting caught can bring legal peril, too, with jail time, hefty fines and bans from the park handed down to trespassers regularly.
Brosnan appeared in four James Bond films, starred in the 1980s TV series “Remington Steele” and is known for starring roles in the films “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “The Thomas Crown Affair.”
Seat belt saved passenger’s life on Boeing 737 jet that suffered a blowout, new lawsuit says
SEATTLE (AP) — More passengers who were aboard an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 jet when part of its fuselage blew out in January are suing — including one who says his life was saved by a seat belt.
The latest lawsuit, representing seven passengers, was filed in Washington’s King County Superior Court Thursday against Boeing, Alaska Airlines, Spirit AeroSystems and 10 people listed as John Does.
Cuong Tran, of Upland, California, was sitting in the row behind where the side of the aircraft tore away and left a door-sized hole on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on Jan. 5, according to a news release from attorney Timothy A. Loranger. Loranger, who filed the lawsuit, said air rushed out of the hole, pulling on Tran and others nearby.
The suction tore Tran’s shoes and socks from his feet and he felt his body lift off his seat, the news release said, adding that Tran’s foot was hurt when it was jerked into the seat structure in front of him.
“Our clients — and likely every passenger on that flight — suffered unnecessary trauma due to the failure of Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems, and Alaska Airlines to ensure that the aircraft was in a safe and airworthy condition,” Loranger said.
The lawsuit seeks punitive, compensatory and general damages for alleged negligence, product construction/manufacturing defect liability and failing in its duty to protect passengers from harm.
Boeing responded to an email Thursday seeking comment saying, “We have nothing to add.” Alaska Airlines and Spirit AeroSystems didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
The first six minutes of the flight from Portland, Oregon, to Southern California’s Ontario International Airport had been routine, the Boeing 737 Max 9 about halfway to its cruising altitude and traveling at more than 400 mph (640 kph). Then the piece of fuselage covering an inoperative emergency exit behind the left wing blew out.
The pilots made an emergency landing back where they started in Portland. No one was seriously hurt.
Another lawsuit against Boeing and Alaska Airlines was filed last month on behalf of 22 other passengers on the flight, also accusing the companies of negligence.
In a preliminary report last month, the National Transportation Safety Board said four bolts that help keep the door plug in place were missing after the panel was removed so workers could repair nearby damaged rivets last September. The rivet repairs were done by contractors working for Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems.
Boeing, under increased scrutiny since the incident, has acknowledged in a letter to Congress that it cannot find records for work done on the door panel of the Alaska Airlines plane.
The Department of Justice has also launched a criminal investigation. The probe would assist the department’s review of whether Boeing complied with a settlement that resolved a federal investigation into the safety of its 737 Max aircraft after two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019.
Georgia
College swimmers, volleyball players sue NCAA over transgender policies
ATLANTA (AP) — Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was among more than a dozen college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on Thursday, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing transgender woman Lia Thomas to compete at the national championships in 2022.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, details the shock Gaines and other swimmers felt when they learned they would have to share a locker room with Thomas at the championships in Atlanta. It documents a number of races they swam in with Thomas, including the 200-yard final in which Thomas and Gaines tied for fifth but Thomas, not Gaines, was handed the fifth-place trophy.
Thomas swam for Pennsylvania. She competed for the men’s team at Penn before her gender transition.
Another plaintiff, Tylor Mathieu of Florida, finished ninth in the preliminary heats of the 500 free, which left her one spot from swimming in the final that Thomas would go on to win. Thomas was the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title in any sport, finishing in front of three Olympic medalists for the championship. By not making the final, Mathieu was denied first-team All-American honors in that event.
Other plaintiffs included athletes from volleyball and track.
The lawsuit said the plaintiffs “bring this case to secure for future generations of women the promise of Title IX that is being denied them and other college women” by the NCAA.
“College sports are the premier stage for women’s sports in America, and while the NCAA does not comment on pending litigation, the Association and its members will continue to promote Title IX, make unprecedented investments in women’s sports and ensure fair competition in all NCAA championships,” the NCAA said in a statement.
Critics contend transgender athletes have an advantage over cisgender women in competition, though extensive research is still generally lacking on elite athletics and virtually nonexistent when it comes to determining whether, for instance, a sophomore transgender girl has a clear advantage over her cisgender opponents or teammates.
In 2022, the NCAA followed the lead of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and revised its policies on transgender athlete participation to attempt to align with national sports governing bodies.
The third phase of the revised policy adds national and international sports governing body standards to the NCAA’s rules and is scheduled to be implemented for the 2024-25 school year.
The lawsuit also lists the University of Georgia system as a defendant because one of its schools, Georgia Tech, hosted the 2022 championships. The suit seeks to halt the NCAA from employing its transgender eligibility policies “which adversely impact female athletes in violation of Title IX” at upcoming events being held in Georgia.
Representatives from the Georgia schools said they had not been served with the lawsuit and would not comment.
Texas
Woman accuses Dak Prescott of sexual assault after Cowboys QB sues her on extortion claim
DALLAS (AP) — A woman accusing Dak Prescott of sexual assault has filed a police report over the alleged incident in 2017 after the star quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys sued her on a $100 million extortion claim.
Dallas police said Thursday there was an ongoing investigation after a report was filed earlier this week about an alleged sexual assault that occurred in the parking lot of a strip club in early 2017.
Prescott’s attorneys filed the extortion lawsuit in Collin County, north of Dallas, on Monday. Prescott has denied the woman’s allegation.
According to the lawsuit, the woman and her attorneys wrote Prescott a letter in which they said the woman wouldn’t pursue criminal charges or go public with her claims if Prescott paid her $100 million.
An attorney representing Prescott met last week with police in Prosper, where Prescott lives, and said his client was a possible victim of extortion, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Prescott is seeking $1 million in damages in his lawsuit against the woman and her attorneys. Prescott’s attorney, Levi McCathern, said the quarterback has never had non-consensual sex with anyone.
“Sexual assault is a despicable crime that no person should ever endure,” the lawsuit said. “Defendants’ false claims in this regard undermine the courage of actual sexual assault survivors everywhere as well as the legitimacy of the horrific traumas they have endured.”
The woman told Dallas television station WFAA the incident happened in the back of an SUV after she left the bar where she worked with Prescott and some of his friends.
“It’s kind of embarrassing to be honest,” the woman said. “But I didn’t ask for that. I didn’t ask for this to happen to me.”
Yoel Zehaie, one of the woman’s attorneys, said Prescott’s extortion lawsuit was “a smoke screen to distract from the real topic that should be discussed. And that is that a rape was committed by Dak Prescott.”
Prescott has been the starter for the Cowboys all eight of his seasons, taking over after Tony Romo’s preseason injury. He was the 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and has made three Pro Bowls.
During the 2023 season, Prescott was the reigning NFL Man of the Year for his charitable work.
Wyoming
Pierce Brosnan pleads guilty to walking off trail at Yellowstone hot springs, must pay $1,500 fine
MAMMOTH, Wyo. (AP) — Actor Pierce Brosnan, who pleaded guilty Thursday to stepping off a trail in a thermal area during a November visit to Yellowstone National Park, was caught after posting pictures online, court records said.
Brosnan, who called in to the court hearing in Mammoth, Wyoming, was fined $500 and ordered to make a $1,000 donation by April 1 to Yellowstone Forever, a nonprofit organization that supports the park, court records said. Prosecutors had recommended a $5,000 fine and a two-year probationary sentence.
A second petty offense, for violating closures and use limits, was dismissed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie Hambrick.
The actor issued an apology on his Instagram account Thursday, saying he “made an impulsive mistake” and calling himself an environmentalist with “the utmost respect for and love of our natural world.”
“I deeply regret my transgression and offer my heartfelt apologies to all for trespassing in this sensitive area. Yellowstone and all our National Parks are to be cared for and preserved for all to enjoy,” Brosnan wrote.
He did not see a “no trespassing” sign when entering the thermal area to take a photo and did not hike in the immediate area, he wrote.
Brosnan ended the message with “#StayOnThePath.”
Brosnan, 70, walked in an off-limits area at Mammoth Terraces, in the northern part of Yellowstone near the Wyoming-Montana line, on Nov. 1, according to citations issued by the park. He was in the park on a personal visit and not for film work, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Wyoming has said.
However, he uploaded images of himself standing in the snow on the thermal feature to his Instagram page, court records said.
Mammoth Terraces is a scenic spot of mineral-encrusted hot springs bubbling from a hillside. They are just some of the park’s hundreds of thermal features, which range from spouting geysers to gurgling mud pots, with water at or near the boiling point.
Going out-of-bounds in such areas can be dangerous: Some of the millions of people who visit Yellowstone each year get badly burned by ignoring signs warning them not to stray off the trail.
Getting caught can bring legal peril, too, with jail time, hefty fines and bans from the park handed down to trespassers regularly.
Brosnan appeared in four James Bond films, starred in the 1980s TV series “Remington Steele” and is known for starring roles in the films “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “The Thomas Crown Affair.”
