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Celebrity Cases
Air crashes that result in the death of celebrities or other prominent individuals often receive national attention. Sadly, entertainers and other VIPs face increased risks of dying in air crashes because of their frequent travel and tight touring schedules.
When litigating cases involving the death of prominent persons, Slack & Davis seeks to direct the inevitable media attention toward issues of prevention and safety. Flying at night in poor weather, or flying in an overloaded aircraft can be recipes for disaster.
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Prominent cases resolved by Slack & Davis include the helicopter crash that killed blues guitarist, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and three cases arising from the charter flight crash that killed members of country-western star Reba McEntire's band. The firm also represented the widow and young children of songwriter and recording artist Walter Hyatt, who died in the crash of ValuJet 592. Before retirement, Tom Davis, co-founder of Slack & Davis, handled a case involving the death of rocker Jim Croce.
Representing surviving families in such cases requires special sensitivity. It also requires the ability to project, document and recover potential future earnings of the deceased. A summary of these celebrity cases follows.
Helicopter crash, death, Stevie Ray Vaughan
Recovery: Confidential, as required by the settlement agreement
Slack & Davis's aviation team represented the brother and mother of blues guitarist and musician Stevie Ray Vaughan after he was killed in a post-concert helicopter crash near Elkhorn, Wisconsin, on August 27, 1990.
The Bell 206B helicopter was supposed to take him to Chicago Midway Airport, but instead it crashed into a hill shortly after take-off. All five people on board were killed. The lawsuit alleged that Omniflight Helicopters was negligent in using an unqualified pilot, and that the pilot was negligent for taking off in dense fog.
At the time of his death, Stevie Ray Vaughan was widely regarded as one of the most talented musicians of his generation. He received two Grammy nominations in 1984, shared a Grammy in 1985, and won a contemporary blues Grammy in 1990.
Attorney Team: Michael L. Slack, Mike Davis, Tom H. Davis
Plane crash, deaths, Reba McEntire's band
Recovery: $2,850,000 ($950,000 to each the three decedent's parents)
Members of Reba McEntire's band were flying to their next engagement after a night concert in San Diego on March 16, 1991. Two minutes after take-off, their chartered plane, a Hawker Siddeley, crashed into a mountain, killing all seven persons on board.
The parents of three musicians sued the charter plane's owner, Duncan Aircraft, for wrongful death, alleging that the pilot, a Duncan employee, caused the crash by failing to clear the mountain. Plaintiffs also alleged that Duncan contributed to the crash by failing to provide its pilots with aeronautical charts showing the location and height of the mountains in the area.
Attorney Team: Mike Davis, Tom H. Davis
Valujet Flight 592 plane crash, death, Walter Hyatt
Recovery: Confidential, as required by the settlement agreement
Slack & Davis represented the wife and two children of Walter Hyatt, a Texas recording artist and musician who was traveling to attend his daughter's college graduation. On May 11, 1996, Valujet Flight 592 was bound for Atlanta when a fire on board contributed to the plane's crash into the Florida Everglades 11 minutes after takeoff. All 110 passengers and crew aboard were killed. The investigation revealed that oxygen canisters stored in the cargo bay were mistakenly labeled as "empty" and improperly packed; many of them were missing safety caps.
Attorney Team: Michael L. Slack, Mike Davis
Plane crash, death, Jim Croce
Recovery: $675,000
The career of folk rock musician Jim Croce was just beginning to soar when a plane he had chartered crashed at the end of a runway in Natchitoches, Louisiana, on September 20, 1973. His song "Time in a Bottle" became a posthumous hit as a nation of music lovers were moved by its refrain: "There never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do, once you find them."
The recovery was for all available insurance coverage.
Attorney: Tom Davis
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