Mitchell Burns didn’t like the story Delta told him about the reason for a flight delay. So he took it upon himself to not only fix his situation, but successfully sue Delta for the cost of the fix.
Because this was a case of default judgment (Delta didn’t fight back), there’s no precedent for restitution in this case (in other words, don’t think that you can always do what Mitchell did and get your money back from the airlines). So as much as I would love this case to be about contracts AND negotiation, it’s only about negotiation.
So, pay close attention to his negotiation style. He had a goal, was willing to negotiate even with judgment in his favor, and used alternatives to get what he wanted.
Excellent job, Mitchell!
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