Mark S. Susina

• Aviation Law and Litigation
• Commercial Litigation
• General Civil Litigation
• Insurance and Reinsurance
• Personal Injury Defense
• Premises Liability
• Products Liability

• Loyola University Chicago School of Law, J.D. 1989
• Marquette University, B.A. Political Science, 1986

• Illinois, 1989
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois 1989
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 1991

The variety of aviation matters on which Mark has worked is as diverse as the industry itself.  Some examples of these are as follows:

• Mark participated in the defense of major airlines in  high-profile accidents, including litigation brought by passengers claiming serious physical injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder;  he also represented these carriers in cases where the estates of deceased passengers had brought wrongful death claims.
• Mark represented an aircraft maintenance facility  in litigation where a defective scissor lift collapsed while being used by a mechanic, causing him to fall from the nose of a Boeing 747 to the ground.
• Mark assisted a team of lawyers representing company that marketed a light sport aircraft.  The canopy on the aircraft opened mid-flight (allegedly due to a defectively designed latch) and resulted in the pilot’s ejection from the aircraft and ultimate death.
• Mark represented an aviation parts supplier in strict products liability litigation where  an air filter sold by the supplier was improperly installed (causing it to be ingested into the engine upon takeoff).  The ingestion resulted in engine power loss, and caused the aircraft to crash, killing the pilot.
• Mark participated in the representation of several major airlines where passengers and crew alleged that “bleed air” or other toxic odors had entered the cabin, causing injury.
• He represented a maintenance facility that had allegedly left foreign object debris inside an engine of a Boeing 737 aircraft, resulting in damage to the engine and loss of use of the aircraft.
• Mark has represented several airlines in “emergency evacuation” cases over the years, where passengers alleged emotional trauma (but no physical injuries) as a result of evacuations.
• He represented numerous air carriers in litigation arising out of the alleged negligent transport of elderly, disabled and handicapped persons.
• He represented ground handling companies in cases arising out of forklift, tug and other GSE equipment accidents, involving both fatalities and serious injuries.
• Mark represented cargo carriers in litigation arising out of the theft of several pallets of laptop computers, damage to both heavy industrial equipment and aircraft engines while being shipped, and even the value of ostriches had been shipped on a DC-8 aircraft from Alabama to the Peoples Republic of China.
• He represented a major airline in litigation arising out of its cancellation of a customer’s pre-paid air pass, on grounds that the customer had violated of the conditions of sale.
• Mark represented several airlines in putative class actions arising out of the airlines alleged failure to refund fares and baggage fees and provide adequate legroom.
• He also assisted a team of lawyers in the representation of a major airport in toxic tort litigation involving groundwater contamination.