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Air Force One 747 over New York - is there liability?

I read that the bone-headed flyover in New York caused panic attacks, women to go into labor, post traumatic stress disorder, and more. If anyone suffered as a result of the government doing a secret flyover, can they sue the government? I mean, isn't this the definition of negligence? Anyone with a half a brain could have foreseen that doing this without a warning would cause people to freak out.

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Attorney answers (2)

Reputation Level 20
The problem will be on the proofs. Plus, immunities from suit are a major problem, just as Mr. Sarno wisely observed.
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Reputation Level 20
The federal government is immune from suit unless there are special circumstances. The federal government might decide as they did with 9/11 to set up a compensation claim system so that the claim process would be much quicker. I believe most people would have a very hard time proving that the flyover caused a specific injury. The additional problem is the police dept in NYC was not informed of the total nature of the flyover.
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LEGAL DISCLAIMER
Mr. Sarno is licensed to practice law in NJ and NY. His response here is not legal advice and does not create an attorney/ client relationship. The response is in the form of legal education and is intended to provide general information about the matter in question. Many times the questioner may leave out details which would make the reply unsuitable. Mr. Sarno strongly advises the questioner to confer with an attorney in their own state to acquire more information.
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