A US law firm has asked a New York court to award American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth) more than USD139 million in legal fees after the airline was only awarded one dollar in damages following its victory last year in a long-standing antitrust case against Sabre Airline Solutions, the global distribution system (GDS), Reuters reports.
In a filing to the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, law firm O'Melveny & Myers said the May 2022 court win following a three-week trial last year "was the culmination of a risky, hard-fought, decade-long battle." Neither side appealed the verdict.
O'Melveny is requesting compensation for more than ten years of litigation on behalf of former client US Airways (Phoenix Sky Harbor), which merged with American Airlines in 2013. American Airlines had sought more than USD1 billion in damages in its suit, accusing Sabre of harming competition in the flight-booking market and charging excessive fees.
Earlier this month, Sabre lost its bid to block O'Melveny from seeking any fees at all. Sabre had argued American Airlines was not entitled to millions of dollars in legal fees after winning the single dollar in nominal damages. Sabre is expected to argue that American Airlines did not win on all of its claims and should not be awarded all of its legal fees since 2011.
Last year's trial was the second in the litigation after American Airlines in December 2016 won about USD15.3 million at trial where claims over damages was restricted. A subsequent appeals court decision opened the door to the second trial, where American Airlines argued for lost profit and other damages.
