United reaches settlement with passenger dragged off overbooked plane

David Dao, the 69-year-old doctor who was dragged off an overbooked United flight earlier this month to the horror of his fellow passengers, has settled with the airline for an undisclosed amount of money.

His attorney, Thomas Demetrio, said that under the settlement, the sum must remain confidential. His client was on a packed flight to Louisville from Chicago on April 9 when he was chosen at random to give up his seat to a crew member who needed to get to Kentucky to work on another flight; Dao refused, and authorities were called. They forcibly removed him from the flight, with other passengers recording the incident, sparking a major public relations disaster for United once the video went viral. Dao's attorneys have said he suffered a broken nose and concussion and lost two teeth.

The settlement came before Dao even filed a lawsuit, and will save United money on legal fees. Demetrio told The Associated Press he hopes "corporate America notices when you goof up, people respect you a heck of a lot more when you admit it, instead of making people go through three years of depositions, motions, court hearings."

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