Asiana Airlines has now decided to drop its lawsuit against KTVU for reporting false and racially insensitive names, including "Sum Ting Wong," "Wi Tu Low," and "Ho Lee Fuk." The airline, wanting to "strongly respond to its racially discriminatory report," claimed that the Bay Area news station had disparaged Asians and Asiana Airlines.
"Asiana Airlines has decided not to proceed with the case since KTVU has issued a formal apology and in order for us to focus all our efforts on managing the aftermath of the accident," the airline said in a statement.
Meanwhile, 83 passengers have decided to pursue legal action of their own. The Atlantic Wire reports:
Yesterday, lawyers representing 83 passengers on the crashed flight filed the initial documents for a lawsuit against Boeing, the company that manufactured the jet that crashed. Ribbeck Law Chartered, a Chicago-based law firm, filed a petition for discovery in Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois that demands the defendants turn over all possible relevant information for the type of aircraft that crashed—a Boeing 777. Asiana wasn't included in the initial court filing, but the airline's name will be added at some point over the next few days. Another lawsuit filed in California by a woman and her son who were passengers on the flight is seeking at least $5 million in damages for injuries suffered in the crash. We have a feeling the litigious backlash is just starting.
