Quote:
Originally Posted by afc wimbledon
The man did not break the law, breaching a civil contract is not criminal, and United should in truth be forced to go to a judge to get a court order to remove him in theory, after which ignoring the court order would be breaking the law.
Not really possible in practise but by forcibly removing someone who isn't breaking the law the United Staff are actually committing assault, in truth they were the only ones that broke the law.
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Maybe Acey can clear it up, but I believe airlines are regulated federally and pilots-in-command have special jurisdiction (as do flight attendants who are under the command of the pilot). If they felt that the passenger was interfering with the operation of the aircraft by delaying a take-off, that is a federal offence (and typically gets you taken off with handcuffs on).
Also, I don't think United staff actually laid a hand on him. It was law enforcement.