Senior editor Michael Milligan spoke with Sarah Hall soon after
her class-action lawsuit was dismissed.
Q: How did you feel when you heard about the
ruling?
A: I was hurt. I didn't cry. But I put things
into perspective: I'm still alive; I still have my family. And I
think that's what matters most.
Q: What do you think about the dismissal?
A: I don't understand. I am very confused. It
was very shocking. We went through four years, three postponements
of trial dates, a change of venue and all the evidence. I have to
respect [the judge's] opinion as a federal judge, but I disagree
with it.
Q: The judge apparently felt your case was
largely circumstantial, with insufficient evidence to prove
collusion. What do you think about that?
A: I think we had sufficient evidence. [The
airlines are not] going to sit down and sign an agreement to cut
commissions. No big company is stupid enough to do that. All we
wanted to do was get to a jury verdict.
Q: Yet there was the possibility that if the
suit went to trial, you would have come out with the same
result.
A: That's OK. I would have swallowed my pride
and gone on. But at least it would have been heard by a jury. All I
wanted was to let some unbiased people sit on [the jury] and let
them figure it out. That's what's so disheartening, not even being
able to get there. Four months before trial ... not even four
months.
Q: I know you invested a great deal of time in
the suit. It required a lot of hours out of the office.
A: And from my personal life. I have put
everything on hold. I had considered pregnancy, but I couldn't do
that knowing I was going to trial. Three months before trial, three
months after trial, I knew I couldn't plan anything.
For the last four years, I have put everything on hold,
vacations, you name it. So my heart's broken. It is a big letdown.
But I feel like now [with the judge's decision] I can enjoy my life
a little and put things behind me.
Q: You sound as if you are ready to walk away
from it.
A: I've been slapped and knocked down. I have
had fellow travel agents appeal our [Lufthansa] settlement. Of
course, everybody wants more money and wants more commissions, but
we had to start somewhere. When people do that, it hurts. When you
get slapped down, how many times are you going to come back up? But
I can't give up. All I can do is wait patiently on another
ruling.
In the meantime, I need to see how my business can turn around
once I focus on it and come back to work. This has been a
roller-coaster ride from Day 1, but I have a glimmer of hope
[through the appeal process].
To contact reporter Michael Milligan, send e-mail to [email protected].