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I was reading an article on CNN about an unruly passenger causing a flight to have to turn around. The Australian magistrate ordered the passenger to pay a fine and for the cost of the fuel that needed to be dumped to land the plane.

I have heard of lots of similar incidents over recent years. I have definitely heard about these passengers being fined by various government agencies.

However, I have never heard of another passenger on the plane suing the unruly passenger. Im sure in a plane filled with dozens to hundreds of passengers that was delayed, cancelled, or diverted that someone was harmed financially or emotionally. Perhaps they missed a deadline, job interview, a funeral, etc.

Perhaps these lawsuits dont make the headlines? Have passengers ever sued other passengers that caused issues on flights? What about other forms of public transportation, like cruises/boats, busses, etc?

Keltari
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You generally can’t generally sue for pure economic loss

Economic loss is a loss that only appears on a balance sheet and not as a physical injury to a person or thing. Consequential economic loss that directly follows from that physical damage is recoverable, but pure economic loss that is independent of physical damage is not.

That’s why you can’t sue someone for wasting your time, despite the obvious social benefit that would flow from this.

A contract can allocate the risk of pure economic loss and where it does, this is recoverable under contract law. Some jurisdictions have allowed some pure economic loss from torts to be recoverable but these are limited in their scope and application. AFAIK, no common law jurisdiction would allow such a claim as you describe.

Dale M
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