“What do you call a group of lawyers on the bottom of the ocean?”
That’s just one of the thousands of jokes that poke fun at the trusted members of the Bar Association. I know it’s not nice to make jokes like that, but come on… there are some groups that deserve a little ribbing every now and then.
Like any noble profession, there are the good apples and there are those who spoil the whole bunch. This anchor here should explain it more.
Today I present to you one of the latter.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Attorney Harry Marsh and his lovely fiance Katilin Rush. The young couple boarded an AirTrain Airways flight from Charlotte to Houston in September 2011. Shortly after taking off Harry and Kaitlin claim that cockroaches began coming out of the overhead bins and air vents. Not wanting to pass up a great photo-op, they started taking pictures.
The surprise appearance of the critters quickly resulted in a lawsuit against AirTran Airways for $100,000.00 plus the cost of their tickets. According to CNN, the couple accuses the airline of “negligence and recklessness, infliction of emotional distress, nuisance, false imprisonment and unfair and deceptive trade practices.”
Wow, all that from a few roaches?
The Atlanta GA real estate planning has had their fair share of “emotional distress” and “false imprisonment” at 37,000 feet. While they haven’t shared the cabin with roaches, but have been subject to vomiting passengers, wet seats, intoxicated or strung-out row-mates, screaming children, barking dogs, dogs who have done their business in their carrier right next to my feet, smelly people, a guy who decided to clip his toe nails in-flight, filthy lavatories, stinky cabins, lack of air conditioning, and the list goes on.
Maybe I should hire Harry.
While roaches aren’t that common on airplanes, they are regular fixtures in restaurants all over the world. Just take a look at your state health department’s restaurant inspection database, you’ll be surprised at what you will see.
But nobody sues. Except Harry.
It’s unfortunate that by a sheer stroke of bad luck a cockroach made its way onto an airplane.
It’s even more unfortunate that one became a lawyer.