Families of Germanwings’ crash victims may sue in US court
Families of the Gemanwings crash victims could take their claim for compensation to the US courts, a lawyer representing 21 of the families said.
Lawyer Elmar Giemulla said his clients could join the families of the two US victims and said he was working closely with lawyers representing the US families.
The decision will likely hinge on whether Germanwings is prepared to meet the compensation levels that would be expected in the US.
In Germany payouts tend to be lower as there is no separate award made for the emotional suffering of families.
It would be at the discretion of a US judge whether to allow claims by the other families as well in the US, and Giemulla says a precedent has already been set in similar cases.
Giemulla said he will seek 1 million euros ($1.1 million) for each victim
Lufthansa has already made an interim payment of 50,000 euros to the families of 111 victims and the remainder will be paid over the coming days.
All 150 people on board the Germanwings jet died when it crashed in the French Alps on March 24.
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