Ill. Federal Judge Refuses to Dismiss COVID-19 Refund Lawsuit Against United Airlines

CHICAGO — An Illinois federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit accusing United Airlines Inc. of improperly failing to issue refunds in the wake of flight cancellations during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding a question of fact as to whether the cancellations were caused by purely economic reasons or the virus itself.

In a Feb. 12 order, Judge Thomas Durkin of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois explained that discovery is needed to determine whether United is relieved from providing refunds by a contractual force majeure clause.

Plaintiffs Jacob Rudolph, Mark Hansen and Jason Buffer allege …