Three Plaintiffs have filed suit in the Northern District Court of Illinois against an attorney, alleging legal malpractice. They claim that the Defendant failed to timely file their action in connection with an airplane crash.
On August 24, 2010, Henan Airlines flight 8387 crashed while attempting to land at Yichun Lindu airport in China. There were 96 passengers on board the flight, 52 persons survived the crash, including two of the Plaintiffs. The attorney, Monica Ribbeck, offered to represent the Plaintiffs in an action against Embraer, S.A., the manufacturer of the plane, and General Electric Company (“GE”), who manufactured the jet engines.
The Plaintiffs contend that they had signed an agreement for legal services with Ribbeck, who assured them that they had a viable cause of action against Embraer and GE. They allege that Ribbeck, through her agent, advised the Plaintiffs that their case was proceeding through the courts, even though no action had in fact been filed.
In December, 2015, the Plaintiffs finally discovered that Ribbeck had never filed the action, and that it was now time barred. Plaintiffs allege that Ribbeck breached her duty of care owed to them and that they lost their claims against Embraer and General Electric because of her negligence.