Some news is fake, but it’s still cool to wake up in Jakarta and see your case on the front page of The New York Times next to a teaser about an old friend and fine writer, Bret Ellis.

After reading the interview, which was more profile than dialogue, I am not sure how Bret has calmed down. I suggest you buy his new book to find out. I did.

Lion Air Update

The New York Times got it right in their story about Boeing, “Days of Silence and Mistrust.” Their investigative reporting has been top drawer.

Local papers usually do not have the resources or talent for true investigative reporting, but Dominic Gates and colleagues at The Seattle Times have written a series of first-rate, fact-based stories. Gates covered the initial filing of our lawsuit against Boeing.

Meanwhile, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft is grounded worldwide. First, Lion Air Flight JT 610 crashed after takeoff in Jakarta on October 29, 2018. Second, Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 crashed after takeoff in Addis Ababa on March 10, 2019.

The circumstances surrounding the crashes are highly similar. I did an interview with 60 Minutes Australia discussing Boeing’s reaction to the unprecedented back-to-back crashes of a nearly new passenger aircraft.

The computer software that overpowered the pilots and drove both planes into fatal high-speed dives is called MCAS. At a press conference in Jakarta, I likened MCAS to HAL, the villainous computer in 2001: a Space Odyssey. Fortunately, there were some pop culture aficionados in the audience that understood and nodded.

““Liability will not truly be in dispute here. Boeing is at fault. Their equipment failed. Their planes crashed twice,” Mark Lindquist, an attorney who is representing the families of 26 victims of the Lion Air crash, told Yahoo Finance.

Public Safety and Personal Injury Law

I am honored to be representing victim families from both crashes. This has been a natural transition after a 23-year career as a prosecutor, from local safety to global safety.

In addition to aviation disasters, I represent victims and victim families in small plane crashes, wrongful shootings, government negligence, sexual assault, and other incidents causing death or serious injury. My focus is on cases against large corporations and the government.

For updates on these lawsuits, you can go to on my personal lawyer website, Facebook, Instagram, or my previous posts on this blog. Many of my cases impact public policy and corporate conduct.

Please contact me if I can help with anything. Tell your friends, too, thanks.

And thanks for reading.

I recently returned from another trip to Indonesia. We now represent 26 of the victim families in the Lion Air crash. Our case continues to gain strength.

On the other side of the globe, an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX crashed on a flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi. There were numerous similarities with the Lion Air Crash: same Boeing plane, same problems with the new MCAS computer system, same fatal dive. You can read more about the cases at my lawyer website.

I am pleased to connect with these grieving families who need legal support. I am grateful to be doing this work.

In my travels, I’ve been reading. I downloaded the new Bret Easton Ellis book “White.” I’ll post a short review soon. P.S. Photo is from my Instagram.

Thanks for reading.

On behalf of the families of 17 victims of the Lion Air crash in Indonesia, we filed a lawsuit against Boeing. You can read about it on my lawyer website or watch Q13 coverage. These families are heartbroken and need vigorous representation.

In short, our lawsuit alleges two main points. One, Boeing equipment failed. Two, Boeing neglected to properly inform and train pilots about a new, automated system installed on the plane. Pilots were not even aware of the existence of the new system.

Pilots are fired up. Captain Chesley Sullenberger, the airline pilot who was played by Tom Hanks in the movie “Sully,” said to the LA Times, “Pilots are not being told or taught everything they need to know about their airplanes.”

Thanks for reading.

“This is a brief life, but in its brevity it offers us some splendid moments, memorable adventures,” Rudyard Kipling observed.

I’ve written a few words about our lawsuit against Lion Air on my Medium page. And I’m continuing to add photos to my Instagram, which is now my primary social media.

Anticipating a return to Indonesia, I’ve  been reading James Michener’s memoir, The World Is My Home. I think I’m going to break out Melville’s Typee next.

I have to add how much I appreciate all the plaintiff attorneys who have welcomed me into private practice, thank you.

In fact, thanks to everyone who has welcomed me everywhere.

And thanks for reading.