Embattled lawyer hit with sanctions in airline climate goals case
By David Thomas
Sept 24 (Reuters) -A New York lawyer who sued Dutch airline KLM for allegedly misleading customers about its environmental pledges was fined and ordered to pay legal fees after a judge found he pressed ahead with the case despite knowing his client's claims were false.
U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams in Manhattan on Monday found that Great Neck-based attorney Spencer Sheehan acted with "subjective bad faith" in the lawsuit.
Sheehan, KLM and their attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Sheehan, who is best known for filing hundreds of food mislabeling lawsuits, is no stranger to sanctions. Abrams noted in his ruling that he was sanctioned at least six times by other judges since March 2022.
A Florida federal judge in July sanctioned Sheehan after he sued retailer Big Lots for selling coffee with a misleading label, finding that he "engaged in a concerted effort to defraud this court and likely many, many others." Big Lots has requested more than $180,000 in attorney fees.
Sheehan's client in the KLM case, Kandus Dakus, alleged she chose KLM over other airlines for a 2022 trip because of its commitment to limiting the environmental impact of its flights. But KLM asserted — and Dakus later admitted — that she used a third-party service to book her flight, and had no choice in picking the airline.
"Despite this knowledge, Sheehan declined to withdraw or amend the complaint," Abrams said.
As part of his sanction, Sheehan will have to pay the attorney fees, costs and expenses KLM incurred after the airline filed its motion to dismiss Dakus' lawsuit. Sheehan also has to pay a $1,000 fine to the court within 14 days.
Reporting by David Thomas
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