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Old 10-09-2012 | 04:57 PM
  #112390  
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Check Essential
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Originally Posted by forgot to bid
I googled as well and found the court documents but nothing that clearly discussed what the final... final... final word was.
The case was split in two. That's why it ended up being called Duke/Spellacy. Duke and Spellacy both won in the trial but ALPA agreed to a settlement with the Duke plaintiffs before the jury could rule on damages. The amount of the settlement was never disclosed but ALPA had to sell their building in Washington to pay for it.

The Spellacy plaintiffs refused to settle. They won the jury verdict but the judge ultimately threw out the verdict "as a matter of law". The Spellacy lawyers then appealed that ruling. That's the appellate court cases you are reading. The appeals court upheld the district judge's decision to throw out the case. So ALPA won.
Turned out they would not have had to pay Duke but it was too late. The settlement was a done deal. A lot of people said it nearly bankrupted ALPA but the people who know how much it really cost have never talked.

http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-2nd-circuit/1029974.html

Last edited by Check Essential; 10-09-2012 at 05:15 PM.