Saxton
Saxton v. McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Co.
Opinion
Opinion
Hall, J.
MEMORANDUM OF OPINION; ORDER FOR JUDGMENT
Betty Kween committed suicide on June 28, 1976.
The personal representative of her estate has filed a suit alleging her death was wrongfully caused by McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics. The plaintiff seeks damages in the total sum of $11,510,000.00 ($1,500,000.00 for the loss of her care, comfort, and society; medical bills in the sum of $10,000.00; and $10,000,000.00 in punitive damages).
The defendants, McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics, were the makers of the DC-10 aircraft which crashed, while in service of the Turkish Airlines, near Paris, France, on March 3, 1974.
The defendants have each filed a motion to dismiss.
All parties have extensively briefed the questions raised.
A very brief statement of the background facts are required for an understanding of the matter before the Court.
Among the 346 persons killed in the Paris crash of March 3, 1974, were David Kween (the son of Cecil and Betty Kween) and Phyllis Kween (his wife), who left two small girls, then aged IV2 and 2V2, surviving them, and left also Cecil and Betty Kween, the partially dependent parents of David Kween.