One thing I don't think anyone has mentioned yet--I wonder how much insurance coverage is available for Continental, Pinnacle Corp, and Colgan for damages from 3407?

There are still many, many pending legal actions percolating through the court system almost three years after that accident, according to a quick PACER search (US public court records search system). I'm just wondering if out-of-court settlements might be one of those potential "events" in 2012 that Menke mentioned.

Other interesting facts I learned reading some of those court dockets:

Pinnacle Corp is a Delaware Corporation, based in Tennessee
Pinnacle Inc is a Georgia Corporation, based in Tennessee
Colgan is a Virginia Corporation, based in Tennessee

I wonder what America's founding fathers would think about the widespread existence of corporations which have more rights than living and breathing citizens, that exist in perpetuity, and that utilize state and offshore jurisdictions to minimize legal liabilities and tax payments.

It's just too bad our labor and employment laws have been so enervated by the court system and co-ordinated corporate lobbying efforts over the last 40 years--watching the actions of Phil and gang reminds me of the robber barons in the olden days, before we had any labor protections...it seems we're slowly heading back to feudalism/Industrial Revoultion times in the USA.