San Francisco, the Oakland Athletics, and the United Airlines Trial Comes to a Close
A jury of 8 was seated and, after the testimony of just one witness, United Airlines and its codefendants settled with the Foster family.
Hello from San Francisco!
I arrived in San Francisco on Saturday to prepare for the United Airlines trial, but, before I get to that, I’d like to talk about this city and a baseball team.
It’s either the best of times or the worst of times to visit San Francisco
Many communities across America are struggling with an affordable housing crisis, but few cities have been hit as hard as San Francisco, where the high rate of homelessness is impossible to ignore. In the Union Square and Tenderloin neighborhoods, I spotted what seemed like an average of five people per block camped out in tents or sleeping next to boarded up storefronts. Trash and human waste litter the sidewalks in districts that are often so devoid of activity that they feel like ghost towns. It’s sobering.
But the good? It’s cheap! Never in my adult life has San Francisco been this affordable to visit. Really nice downtown hotels for under $150 per night! Craft beers in some of the city’s best bars for less than $10 each! Sales everywhere! But the best part is all of the amazing tourist attractions that are still here: Fisherman’s Wharf. The Golden Gate Bridge (read about it here). Alcatraz Island (where I’m going today, actually). And hey, the summer weather is just so fantastic.
My love affair with the Oakland A’s
When I was a kid, four of the hottest players in Major League Baseball were Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey, Jr., Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. I adored Griffey, but Big Mac was my favorite hands down. When I started following baseball (and collecting baseball cards), I wasn’t a fan of any particular team but grew to love the Oakland Athletics because that’s where McGwire played. When he was traded to St. Louis in 1997, my loyalty switched to the Cardinals — the first sports team that I grew to love unconditionally.
Anyway, I’m here in the Bay Area and figured that I should go see an Athletics game, since I might not have another opportunity — the team is expected to follow in the footsteps of the NFL’s Raiders in moving to Las Vegas.
Built in 1966, the Oakland Coliseum predates the ADA by decades and is a dump compared to most MLB ballparks — unsurprisingly, few accessible seats are desirable and most lack an equivalent view. I bought an infield ticket on the 100 level, but the restricted view prevented me from seeing anything hit into the air. A wonderful group of ushers helped me find a better view, and I soon learned that I could go wherever I wanted — attendance at the 6:45 p.m. game was just 4,013, less than 10% of the stadium’s 46,000+ seat capacity.
Without getting into the controversy around this team’s downfall, I’ll just say that I hope Las Vegas will embrace the team — I’m not against baseball teams moving… after all, the Athletics started in Philadelphia in 1901, moved to Kansas City in 1955, and didn’t find a home in Oakland until 1968.
The United Airlines trial is over… here’s what happened
I traveled to San Francisco to cover a lawsuit, Foster et al v. United Continental Holdings, Inc., et al, in which the family of Nathaniel “NJ” Foster, Jr. accused United Airlines and its contractors of negligently handling their quadriplegic and ventilator-dependent son during a February 2019 flight from Houston, Texas to Monroe, Louisiana. The alleged mishandling led to a catastrophic brain injury that placed NJ in a persistent vegetative state.
As jurors were selected from a pool of about 50, U.S. District Court Judge James Donato warned that the trial could last up to two weeks — each party had been allotted 10 hours of time to present evidence and call witnesses.
On Monday, a jury was selected and sworn in, both sides made their opening arguments, and counsel for the plaintiffs had time to call one witness. That witness proved consequential, and the defendants did not want the jury to hear portions of her testimony.
To get the full scoop on what that witness said, and how the trial ended so abruptly, read my full article: United Can’t Toss Flight Attendant’s Testimony, Settles After Serious Injury to Disabled Flyer.
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Hello I'm seek an attorney to help me. I was denied access to board a Southwest airlines flight because the gate agent told me that it would take too long to board me and my chair.