Amerijet Sues Company For Costs And Damages

Zero G has parted ways with Amerijet, the company that operated its G-FORCE ONE aircraft, with the termination of a management services agreement on May 4th. And the divorce has not been amicable.

Court records indicated that Amerijet repossessed the three jet engines that powered Zero G's 727 airplane, and says the parabolic flight company owes more than $127,000. Zero-G has disputed that claim.

Zero G provides services to NASA, as well as offering a microgravity experience to individuals for just under $5,000 ... plus tax.

ParabolicArc.com reports that there has been a great deal of legal wrangling between the two parties since Amerijet gave 30 days notice that it was ending its association with Zero G in April. Amerijet first filed a temporary restraining order in Texas in an effort to reclaim their engines. The  order was intended to prevent Zero G from moving the airplanes until the matter was resolved.

After it delivered an extended lease agreement as requested by Amerijet, but without the amendments Amerijet had wanted, Zero G said that the case had been dismissed by an out-of-court settlement. The company maintained that a U.S. District Court in Texas retained jurisdiction. There were several hearings.

Zero G says Amerijet failed to fulfill its part of the agreement under the lease extension, and filed legal paperwork in Texas countering Amerijet's claim of missed payments. “Zero Gravity informed the Texas Court that it believed the disputed payments were offset by the expenses that Zero Gravity incurred as a part of the dispute under the MSA and also informed the Texas Court that Zero Gravity had a claim for ‘lost revenues associated with Amerijet’s delays in providing required maintenance records . . . [and] costs resulting from Amerijet’s past breaches of the [MSA],’” the filing reads.

Amerijet filed its claim for unpaid fees and the costs of removing the engines in Florida, because it says that is where all disputes must be settled according to the engine lease agreement. It also says the cases in Texas and Florida are substantially different.

What this means to most of us is that Zero G is not flying right now. Their website simply says that the 2015 schedule is "coming soon," and their last news release was posted February 18. The company said in an emailed statement to ParabolicArc that it is "currently in the process of restructuring flight operations management" and that it would be posting its 2015 schedule "in the coming months."

FMI: www.gozerog.com, www.amerijet.com