Alleged Fraud While Operating To Nigeria
On January 26, 2004,
passengers on flights operated by World Airways Inc. through their
lawyers, Echeruo, Counsel, Attorneys at Law, LLP and Madu, Edozie
& Madu P.C., filed a Class Action lawsuit in the United States
District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
The action has been brought as a class action on behalf of a
class (the "Class") of all persons who purchased tickets for travel
from the United States to Nigeria between November 4, 2003 and
January 31, 2004 and were not transported to their destinations on
schedule by World Airways.
Plaintiff attorneys claim the action arose from World Airways
decision to completely cease flight operations to Nigeria,
abandoning passengers with round trip tickets and leaving the
majority of them stranded in Lagos, Nigeria for over three (3)
weeks.
World Airways was operating the flights in conjunction with
Ritetime Aviation and Travel Services, Inc ("Ritetime") and blames
its disruption of service on a contractual dispute with
Ritetime.
According to one named plaintiff, Dr. Obiora Anyoku, a New York
based physician, "World Airways conduct was outrageous. How can any
decent company leave over 1,000 people stranded in a foreign
country and simply ignore its responsibility. We have jobs and
families to go back to, and children returning to school."
Another plaintiff, McLord Obioha, a New York based journalist,
said: "We suffered a great deal at the Lagos airport. World Airways
did not even provide us with food, water or accommodation. It was
hell. I can guarantee that this form of maltreatment would not have
been accorded passengers of non-African descent."
The Class Action Complaint alleges that World Airways violated
U.S. Federal laws and regulations governing air transportation.
In a press release,
plaintiff attorneys wrote: "These laws and regulations clearly and
specifically address the issues of travel originating in the United
States and mandate that airlines honor all international round trip
tickets for such flights."
"These laws were instituted to prevent airlines and travel
agencies alike, from taking advantage of passengers and to protect
against scenarios such as the current predicament of the plaintiffs
in this Class Action. World Airways appears to have engaged in a
repeated pattern of violating Federal law."
"They cannot escape their responsibility to their passengers and
their own wrongful conduct by pointing to Ritetime. This was a
lucrative route for World Airways, the second largest source of
revenue for them, their passengers deserved better." said Ike O.
Echeruo, Esq., an attorney representing the plaintiffs."
The Complaint also alleges that World Airways and its
co-defendants committed fraud and were engaged in a corrupt
enterprise in violation of the Federal Racketeer Influenced and
Corrupt Organizations Statute (RICO).
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