A federal judge ruled a wrongful death lawsuit tied to the deadly UPS plane crash in Louisville will be heard in a Kentucky court after UPS tried to move the case into federal court.
United States District Court Judge David Hale said Friday that UPS failed to show that its principal place of business is not Kentucky, therefore remanding the case back to Jefferson Circuit Court.
In previous court filings, UPS argued the company’s principal place of business is in Atlanta, Georgia, making federal court the proper venue for several wrongful death lawsuits filed following the crash.
Hale said in his ruling that several key UPS airline and safety executives work in Louisville — including President, President of Flight Operations, President of Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering, Vice President and Chief Counsel, Vice President of Airline Safety, and Vice President of Industrial Engineering — and that the company could not provide evidence that any of its own officers, other than its Chairman, operate out of Georgia as opposed to Kentucky.
UPS Flight 2976 crashed just after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on November 4, 2025, after its left engine and pylon separated during takeoff. The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo plane, headed to Honolulu, was carrying a full fuel load for the nearly nine-hour flight when it crashed into businesses just south of the airport.
Fifteen people, including three pilots, were killed in the crash, and 23 others were injured.
In May, 15 additional lawsuits representing more than 100 plaintiffs were filed in Jefferson Circuit Court on behalf of victims’ families, injured survivors and business owners seeking damages.
Federal investigators have said fatigue cracks in key engine mount components contributed to the crash.
Two other federal cases tied to the crash are still pending.
Source: WDRB
You must be logged in to post a comment.