>> reporter: well, you talk about the idea that so many people are upset about this. everywhere we stepped yesterday inside the airport people were talking about this video. they wanted to know when something would be done. when is apology enough? and of course, a lot of people reacting to united's ceo's apology, thinking that the third time was a charm, but some people say they believe dr. dao deserves something for what he experienced. we've all seen the video of that man being dragged down the middle of the aisle. we now found out that two more department of aviation officers have been suspended due to this case. that's three in total. we do believe that in the next two or three minutes that his lawyers and his daughter will be stepping to the podium behind me to have the first time to talk about what exactly happened. i believe dr. dao is still in the hospital. we do know the lawyers moved to go to a circuit court yesterday and asked for the circuit court to start preserving evidence in this case and that they've started making sure that some of the videos were pulled, some of the recordings from the crew who was there, and they want to know exactly what happened and the steps that led up to this.

you've had lawmakers and everyone else talk about the idea, they want to see changes made in the way passengers are treated, because as of right now, they think there needs to be more customer service for those passengers when they're on a flight like this, especially when they pay for a flight. as we were talking about, now you can see for the first time, those lawyers and the family members are actually walking toward the podium as we speak, so this news conference is getting ready to get under way. we are just given that one-minute total when this was going to happen, so i'm going to step out of the way as they start to sit down and start the conversation. >> let's keep the conversation going for just a second until we hear from these attorneys. the guidance we've received is that it's two attorneys and the daughter of dr. dao. looks like we're about to begin. let's listen in. >> good morning, ladies and gentlemen. my name is tom demetrio, and this is steve golen. and this is crystal pepper at the end.

steve and i have the honor and responsibility to represent dr. dao, and crystal is one of dr. dao's five children. i'm going to say a few words. crystal is going to say a few words. and then we'll open it up to any questions you might have. i would ask only that if you do ask a question, that you state your name and your affiliation. so, we're gathered here because of a rather disturbing video that went viral, as things do in our world today. the media inquiries of us has

been quite amazing, which is why we thought this might be the best way to go about answering some of your questions. mr. munoz has taken to the airwaves and has given his view of things, a couple versions of it. and i thought it might be a good idea put this video in the perspective of my world of law. here's the law. real simple. if you're going to eject a passeng passenger, under no circumstances can it be done with unreasonable force or violence. that's the law. if unreasonable force and violence is used under a set of

circumstances, the common carrier, united airlines in this case, is responsible. for each of us in this room, as we bump along in a day-to-day fashion, we owe each other an ordinary care standard. i'm not to be careless and hurt you. i'm not to be negligent and hurt you. but in the world of common carriers, they have the duty of care to provide protection and safety to its fare-paying passengers. as we all saw on the video, that was not done. that was not done in this case.

and i would defy anyone to suggest that there was not unreasonable force and violence used to help dr. dao disembark that plane. so, the laws are there for the protection of each of us. what's been extraordinary in just these few days since the event has been that the calls i have received from passengers, from employees of united, former employees of united, with respect to what we all saw. and the fact of the matter is, i have concluded the following, that for a long time, airlines,

united in particular, have bullied us. they have treated us less than maybe we deserve. i conclude that based upon hundreds, literally hundreds of tales of woe, of mistreatment by united, is that here's what we want as a society. we want fairness in how people treat us, we want respect, and we want dignity. that's it. not a big deal. this seems so simple. forget the law for a minute that requires common decency in the

treatment of passengers, but just treat us with respect. make us feel like you really care. and i must say, i don't believe it's limited to the airline industry. i think corporate america needs to understand that we all want to be treated in the same manner, with the same respect and the same dignity that they would treat their own family members. if they do that, wouldn't it be great? so, will there be a lawsuit? yeah, probably. as you may know, we have taken a step. monday there's a hearing at 10:00 in our local courthouse here in chicago to protect and preserve certain evidence we're going to need down the line.

it's just not a matter of throwing the video up and asking the jury, okay, who wins? so, it's a. but dr. dao, to i believe his great credit, has come to understand that he's the guy. he's the guy to stand up for passengers going forward. yesterd yesterday, mr. munoz gave an interview on national television, and he was asked point blank, did dr. dao do anything wrong? you know what he did? he hesitated. he hesitated. maybe he thought, well, where'd that question come from?

but then he regrouped and he said no, he did nothing wrong. no one should have been treated the way he was treated, stating the obvious. but he didn't state it initia y initially. initially, he backed up his people. and that may be a big part of the problem, the culture. it's us against them. well, we're them, and this lawsuit, among other things, hopefully, will create a not just national discussion, but international discussion, on how we're going to be treated going forward. whether it's a matter of overbooking -- and i think

perhaps that's what's going on. but if i understand what occurred last sunday here in chicago it wasn't even a matter of overbooking. it was a matter of, at the last moment, four employees had to get to louisville so they could go to work the next day on various flights. so, we have to figure out -- united has to figure out, the airline industry those figure out -- what do we do? we take money from people. we let them sit on the airplane, seat belted. are we really going to just start taking them off then? is that what we want as a society? or maybe we keep some seats open for that emergency when a pilot, a co-pilot, a flight attendant those get to a destination

unexpectedly. maybe airlines need to start expecting the unexpected, but not at the expense, certainly not at the physical expense, of its paying passengers. so, our role -- steve, myself -- going forward, will be to just get the facts and get them out. and we're going to be vocal about the whole subject of what we as a society say passengers are entitled to. are we going to continue to just be treated like cattle? bullied? rude treatment?

we all have enough, oh, i don't know, angst for flying as it is. a lot of stuff out there. but don't treat the people who help make you the corporate entity you are, like dr. dao was treated. so, i'm going to ask crystal to -- she wanted to address you -- make any statement, and then if i haven't been clear or you have further questions, i'm happy to answer them. okay? crystal? >> on behalf of my dad and my

entire family, we would like to express our gratitude for the huge outpouring of prayers, love, and concern that we have received from all over the world these past few days. we would also like to thank the physicians, the nurses, and all the hospital staff that has taken care of my dad. it has been a very difficult time for our entire family, especially my dad, and we are truly grateful for your support. what happened to my dad should have never happened to any human being, regardless of the circumstance. we were horrified and shocked and sickened to learn what had happened to him and to see what had happened to him.

we hope that in the future nothing like this happens again. thank you so much again for your support. >> okay. yes, sir? >>. [ inaudible ] "associated press." there was talk early on that mr. dao perhaps suggested that his race was an issue. do you believe the fact that he was -- that his race played into this, that he was -- >> i personally do not. i don't think this is a matter of race at all. i'll share with you an e-mail i got, actually late last night, from -- it actually sounds like an irishman to me on paper -- who suggested that dr. dao was the modern-day asian rosa parks. i don't think that's the case at all. i think what happened to dr. dao

could have happened to any one of us. yes, sir, in the green tie. >> special question for you -- >> can you state your name? >> sure, chris vancleave from cbs news. when you saw this video, can you tell us what you were feeling? just take us to sort of the emotion of what you were feeling when you saw this video that's certainly been replayed countless times now. and also if you could give us an update on how your father is doing. >> could you do that? feel free, crystal. if you don't want to, don't, but -- >> like i said earlier, we were completely horrified and shocked at what had happened to my father when we learned of the incident. seeing it on video made those emotions exacerbated.

my dad is healing right now, and that's all i have to say about that. [ inaudible question ] >> i can tell you that he was discharged late last night. that he did, in fact, suffer a significant concussion as a result of disembarking that plane, and i can also tell you that he had a serious broken nose, injury to the sinuses, and he is going to be undergoing shortly reconstructive surgery in that regard. there have been a lot of inquiries about did he really lose any teeth? yeah, he lost two front teeth. but concussions are sort of an

iffy condition. i don't know, you know, ultimately, long term. hopefully, there will not be any significant repercussions because of that, but he is -- he's shaken. yes, sir. yes, sir. >> tom, steve forrest with cnn. yesterday, oscar munoz of united said in his interview that he and his people have reached out to dr. dao but have had no luck. have either of you gentlemen heard from united and spoken directly, even to munoz or his people or the family? >> the answer is no. >> i have not heard anything, either. to the best of my knowledge -- and -- i'm sorry. i have not heard it from united either. and i asked crystal this morning whether or not her family had voice message or something, and the answer is no.

>> yes, ma'am. >> my name is jessica pong from the chinese daily newspaper journal. i have a question for crystal. did your family reach out to china? because i think he mentions i've been selected because i'm chinese. so we're just wondering, can you -- [ inaudible ] >> my parents immigrated from vietnam. >> so nothing with china? >> no. >> yes, sir. >> derek henkel, afp. i wonder, could you talk a little bit -- i think a lot of us were wondering what was going through your father's mind when he was holding on to the post and saying, "just kill me, just kill me." can you talk about kind of -- i know he was on a long international flight. can you talk about what his mental state was and what he was trying to express there? >> i think i can, if you don't mind, only because i asked him that question.

here's what he told me. he said that he left vietnam in 1975 when saigon fell. and he was on a boat. and he said he was terrified. he said that being dragged down the aisle was more horrifying and harrowing than what he experienced in leaving vietnam. that was his response to me. so, i give it to you. yes, sir. >> the chicago department of aviation officers are not united -- >> i'm sorry, you are? >> vince. [ inaudible ] with cbs 2 news. >> thank you. >> the chicago department of aviation officers are not unite ed employees. >> true. >> so, what is united's responsibility for their actions? >> real simple. the airplane is under the control of the pilot. the pilot controls everything.

he's the boss. he's actually the captain of the ship. and so, mr. munoz, smartly, i think, said, you know, we goofed up, united. we goofed up. it's our responsibility. because under the law, the captain of the ship, united airlines, in this case, is responsible for what occurs on that. should this forceful, violent -- my word -- exercise of police power have been allowed once it was viewed and seen by the flight crew to continue? no. it shouldn't have. so, were these three officers, these stormtroopers for a moment, doing the right thing? no, not at all. this was not -- this was not a

troubled passenger. this was not a nut job. this was not a threat to anybody. should he have been unceremoniously dragged out of that plane the way he was? he's a 69-year-old man. is that really the way we want to treat the aged? >> does the city of chicago bear any responsibility for the officer's actions? >> yes. they are employees of the city of chicago. the city of chicago is -- yeah. just because united is responsible doesn't mean the city of chicago isn't also responsible. that will all be sorted out, but more than one can be responsible for a single event. in this case, i believe that's the case. yes, ma'am. >> fox 32.

do you know anything right now about those officers' use-of-force training? is that one of the things you'll be looking at? because it seems there are several instances where they could have used a different tactic to get that gentleman out of the seat. >> correct. so, great question. a lot of people have asked, well, why don't you just sue? why are we fooling around here? because we're not ready to sue. we're doing our due diligence. when we file our lawsuit, it's going to be because everything, every word, every preposition is in that lawsuit for a reason. we have been getting calls from people who used to work for the aviation department, who trained these officers, and nothing, nothing in the training, i submit, as it will be proven, says in a nonconfrontational situation, where the other

passengers are in jeopardy, should this type of conduct ever be utilized, or force utilized. so, there you go. >> quick question. phil lebeau with cnbc. do you view this situation as an isolated incident, or you say you've heard from other united employees, do you look at this airline as having a culture of disrespecting customers? >> well, that's a different question. i mean, there is clearly, clearly -- i have learned enough from people out there who have contacted us that, yeah, i would say there is a culture of disrespect, of rudeness, but what's unfortunately occurred here in dr. dao's case is rudeness, bullying customers, has gone the next step now to

physical injury. so, i don't know if it's society as a whole that everybody's just angry. i don't know what it is, but this is a doctor who was originally asked to buy a voucher, you know, get a free ticket, whatever, and he said, no, i have a practice, i have to go work tomorrow and treat patients, which is true. so, he was singled out for reasons maybe we're going to find out in this discovery process of the lawsuit, but i don't know what they are. i've already answered what i believe they aren't. but the fact of the matter is, yeah, there are a lot of angry people out there, united customers, united employees. so, yeah, it's something that

mr. munoz and his people need to look at, because the public relations problems that they have aren't just limited to this video. yes, ma'am. >> leah pope, abc 7 here in chicago. actually a question for ms. dao, if you don't mind. so many people have learned about your father through this video. what do you want people to know about your father, who he is, not just these few seconds of video that we've seen? >> thank you for your question. my dad is a wonderful father. he has raised with my mother five great children who have gone on to do great things and will continue to do great things. he is a loving grandfather. and at the end of the day, that is the person who we are trying

to protect and take care of. thank you. [ inaudible ] >> as my immediate family and my husband and children are here in chicago, we are deeply affected by it. our lives have been interrupted and our normalcy is not where it was on sunday morning. furthermore, my siblings, who all have thriving careers and are in graduate schools, their lives have been interrupted. and as some of you may know, they're in the health care field, and they are trying their best to do their job without further interruption from local media, whomever it might be, stepping into their lives right

now. >> that handsome gentleman in the silver hair. >> thanks. larry ellen from fox news. your lawsuit may have long-term consequences, but what would you like to see in the short term from united, from other airlines, from oscar munoz? >> well, i think short term, they need to -- i mean, mr. munoz said, you know, there's going to be an internal investigation, et cetera. right now, all airlines, they need to come out and figure out this overbooking situation as it exists today. and whether that's a how high will they go? and eventually, somebody's going to say, yeah, i'll leave. they've got to figure out a way short term to solve what i'm calling the over-overbooking situation that we as consumers are being faced with. so, i think that's the biggest problem. i don't think anybody has to tell any airline, any police force, to not do what we all saw

on the video. i think in the short term, that will never happen again. i'm hopeful. >> as a follow-up, do you see yourself going forward on a battery theory, infliction of emotional distress? >> well, that's all part of it. i mean, under our system, the elements of damages include physical injuries, mental injuries, emotional injuries. so, yeah, i mean, we don't know the extent of them, so i have no clue where that's going to lead us as far as dr. dao goes. and again, i stand here and i say i hope he makes a full and complete recovery. that's the hope. but the fact of the matter is, these elements of damages, the airlines need to be aware of, because if they continue to physically abuse us, that's going to be problematic. yes, ma'am.

>> does the city -- >> and you are? >> sorry, marney pipe with "the daily herald." the city had indicated that in some way, dr. dao had represented some sort of a security threat. do you have any idea why they might have said that? >> i missed that altogether. >> the city had indicated that there was some sort of security threat possibly posed by dr dr. dao. do you have any idea why they might have said that? >> you know, that's not helping their pr image either, is it? they're -- no! that's ridiculous! what would his conspiracy be? conspiracy to do what? >> could you talk about the city's response? >> pardon me? >> could you talk about the city's response? you talked about united's response. could you talk about the city and the airport's response? >> i understand there's going to be in the chamber of the aldermen today a discussion with

the aviation department people. so, i have not heard a response from the city, so i don't know what their response is. it can't be good. >> was your point where your client could have -- >> you are? >> chris vancleave from cbs. >> i know. >> was there a point, not to diminish or take away what happened at all, but there are many people who had asked, what if he had just complied with the officers? at a certain point, was there a moment where he could have complied with the uniformed officers asking him to get off the plane? >> could he have? sure he could have. could he have? yes, he could have, but he needed to get home. he's a physician. he had patients to see the next day. he didn't want to get up and comply and be sent home on, i think the flight was 3:30 the next day. no, that was not good. his wife, by the way, is also a physician. she also had patients to see. yes, ma'am. [ inaudible question ]

>> -- statement from united earlier this week that said that dr. dao attempted to strike law enforcement, attempted to strike law enforcement. how do you respond to that? >> i missed your question. >> we've seen a statement from united earlier this week that said that dr. dao attempted to strike law enforcement -- >> to strike? >> yes. >> hit? >> strike law enforcement. how do you respond to that? >> never happened. never happened. i think many of you might have seen the second video of the 19-week-old -- i mean, 19-week-pregnant woman behind dr. dao, ms. cummings, with her 2 1/2-year-old sitting on her lap. and you can see dr. dao not striking anybody, trying to strike anybody. he just wanted to go home. yes, sir.

>> ryan young from cnn. you've had a chance to talk to some of the people on the plane. could you give me some of the reactions that you've gotten from people who were on that plane just about their visceral reaction to what was happening as it was going on? >> they couldn't believe it. they couldn't believe it. now, i noted yesterday, i guess, that united is paying each of the passengers on that plane their full fare. and one wonders why they would do that. but i can tell you, it's not going to keep these people quiet for what they observed. ms. cummings herself, who contacted us, said it wasn't until these three guys came and violently took him away that she was fearful for her own safety.

and when passengers see this scene, if you will, i don't know what they were thinking, but i know the ones that have contacted us were concerned and worri worried, my word again, angst. >> this potential lawsuit -- >> three apologies. how did you feel about the three apologies from united? were you -- >> the apology? >> the apologies. >> i thought it was staged. i thought it was, you'd better get out there and correct what you said originally, i think you ought to make it sound like you mean it. i didn't get that feeling. you are? >> alex perez with abc news. besides settling this potential lawsuit, twhas thwhat is it tha want united to do moving forward? and for those of us who don't know your father and just met him through this video, besides being a good father, what kind of person is he? at that moment, what was going

through his mind? was he trying to defend himself, back himself out of a corner? walk us through that. >> i think i've answered that question. i told you what he was feeling as he was being dragged down. what do we hope united does? the right thing! obviously. i think the whole culture has to change. i think -- what was the name of that movie? "planes, trains, automobiles" with steve martin? anybody remember that, where he has his encounter with the lady at the counter? it was a rent-a-car person. it's really funny. and what we want -- we don't want that anymore. we want, whether it's a rental car company or a grocery store or, it doesn't matter, our doctors, our health care providers. dr. dao, by the way, has four children who are doctors, okay? it's service. it's service.

it should be service with a smile. and it should be, as i've mentioned -- i think they have to stop the over-overbooking. i think they need to have more statistics to figure out, okay, how many tickets can we really overbook or how many seats do we have to keep available in case some crew members have to get somewhere else? >> -- was that he had to get back for? >> i only know what i've read, and that is that each of these four individuals had, from louisville, flights taking them hither and yon the next morning. yes, sir. >> i'm andrew tangen from the "wall street journal." could you elaborate on the types of patients, how many patients and when he had to see them and also his broader medical practice? how many offices he practices at? does he practice with your mother, crystal? >> yeah, we're going to keep his professional life -- that's not the purpose of this conference today. >> there was a follow-up.

the medical board in kentucky says that he's only allowed to practice one day a week at the office of dr. godfried in elizabethtown, but that office said he doesn't work there. so, could you please elaborate on -- >> no, i won't elaborate on his professional practice as it exists today. yes, sir. >> with telemundo chicago. do you have right now any particular data or investigation if anybody gave the order to use extreme force in case somebody didn't want to leave their seats? >> i don't. i hope no one gave that order. >> andy -- [ inaudible ] >> wait, andy. >> jesse kirsh with abc 7 here in chicago. going back to the security questions. it's one thing to be talking about refusing to get up and exit the plane with the officer, but a lot of people have also been pointing out the fact that dr. dao then ran back on to the airplane. >> yes. >> do you see any difference between those two series of

actions, or do you see them as one -- >> i do. i see a difference. because as i've stated, the man suffered a concussion. he has absolutely zippo, nada, memory of going back on to that airplane. >> he does not remember returning to that airplane? >> not a lick of it. no, sir. >> mr. demetrio? >> yes, sir -- [ inaudible question ] >> yes. >> a lot of the behavior of the passengers on the plane and the staff of that airplane giving a lot of authority to that staff. do those regulations need to change, in your opinion, in regard to situations like this? >> i don't think so. i think there has to be regulations governing -- somebody has to have control, and it's got to be the pilot, and the flight crew have to follow the captain's orders. so, obviously, we're going to learn, i'm sure the captain at

some point called on the aviation department, police force to come in and do that which mr. munoz said yesterday will never, ever happen again. yes, ma'am. >> from "chicago crusader" newspaper. might this end up being a class-action lawsuit? >> no. class-action lawsuits are a whole different breed, and i don't believe this will be. i'm hoping -- i'm hoping that dr. dao is the only one who has ever been so physically forcefully, violently removed from an airplane. i'll be shocked if someone else surfaces. >> andy wilson from "the louisville courier journal." did the united crew make errors before dr. dao is removed from

the plane? if so, what were they? and should the captain have been involved in the negotiation for people to leave? >> yeah, i think -- and i think airlines try to do this routinely, and that is, all issues of overbooking are usually done at the counter, outside the jetway to the plane. so, it's, thankfully, few and far between, where actually, after everybody's seated, then the removal begins. so, i don't know that the united employees did anything wrong. i don't know why it took until after everybody was seated for this to unfold. again, i've told you i've gotten so many inquiries from people where, people in first class,

recently, united airlines, were removed and they were told -- this is what they were told. first class passengers. someone more important needs this seat. and they were kicked off the plane. first class. frequent flyer. miles plus and all that stuff. red carpet club. gone. because someone more important. so, i don't know. i don't believe there's -- i think it's a case-by-case -- maybe it's case-by-case. i don't know if there are any standard procedures. we're going to get them, if they exist. yes, sir. >> my name's andy fise with abc news. and crystal, a question for you. mr. demetrio has said that your father understands that he is going to be the guy who stands up for passengers going forward, that they are going to be vocal about the whole subject of what passengers are entitled to. so, rather than this lawsuit being about an individual

incident, it seems that your attorneys are elevating it into something much bigger. is your father ready to be a symbol? >> she doesn't know. >> mr. demetrio, i'd direct the question -- >> you know, i believe that's the way it's going to pan out. someone asked what else do you hope to, you know, accomplish here. i hope that's what happens. i hope he becomes a poster child for all of us. someone's got to. you know, when we're -- >> is he prepared for what might come with that? >> he doesn't -- i don't -- i hope he is. i certainly will work with him on that. i certainly will be, as will steve, will his family. yeah, dad, you're the guy. someone's got to do it, because what i've learned is most people, yeah, they're treated rudely, they're bullied, there's

discourtesy all over the place. that doesn't rise to running to the courthouse and bringing a lawsuit. so, it took something like this to, again, get a conversation going, and i think it will continue. yes, sir. >> "chicago tonight," wttw. by law, the airline is allowed to offer up to $1,350 to get a passenger to voluntarily leave. what was the final amount that they had offered dr. dao? what was the final offer that they had made? >> i think it was $800. $800. [ inaudible question ] >> they did not offer enough to get him to voluntarily leave, they could have offered more? >> no, they could have offered $3,000, okay? he and his wife needed to get back. okay? so, they weren't the ones. but you've got to figure, i don't know, $1,300, yeah, i'll go tomorrow afternoon. maybe someone would have done that. we'll never know. >> verify something you said

earlier. mr. demetrio, clarify something you said earlier. did dr. munoz or united, you said you did not speak to them, but have they reached out to you? >> they have not reached out. i thought we were clear. >> he said in an interview with abc news that he left a voice mail. >> i'm saying he misspoke. he misspoke. >> he did not leave a voice mail? >> yeah. is that clear? he did not. or did his people. so. that's fine. i have no quarrel with that. i have no quarrel with that. >> do you want to hear from him? >> not really. i saw him. i saw him yesterday. >> would it change something if he called the dao family or mr. dao himself? >> i don't know what it would change. >> do you want him to? >> not really. i mean, i'm not looking for a telephone conversation with mr. munoz. okay? i don't believe that would be fruitful. i'd rather he spend his time changing the culture of united

airlines, okay? chatting. we -- by the way, his public apology to the family we accept with gratitude, okay? but i don't need -- >> but you're saying he lied yesterday, was untruthful about communicating with -- >> that wasn't my word. i said he misspoke. i don't know -- maybe he thought he did. i don't know. but he did not. okay? okay. somebody who hasn't -- >> -- planning on filing this lawsuit in federal court or state court? you are? >> sorry, judeann hannah of bloomberg. when do you plan on filing the suit? >> when our investigative work is done, we will file suit. i don't really have a clue when that will be. we have two years to file it. i promise it won't be that long, but it will be filed in state court, circuit court of cook county. yes, ma'am. >> marney pike with "the daily

herald," was mrs. dao on the flight with him and had she been asked to give up her seat as well? >> well, i think -- i -- yeah, i guess, as a couple, they were asked to do that, right. anything else? >> obviously -- >> follow up on that. can you just clarify? because previous reports have said that dr. dao was the sole passenger -- [ inaudible ] >> i actually don't know how it occurred, but i do know that one husband and one wife would not have left each other. so -- >> did you bring that up? there's been all this talk about how he had to see patients tomorrow. did he point out that his wife was on the plane with him and was going to be going home without him at that point if he was to get off? >> i don't have an answer for you, i don't know, but i'm sure.

i'm sure he did. yes, sir. right there. >> thank you. >> you've got to give your name again. >> sure, mitch with "the new york times." i'm wondering if you could fill us in on the timeline for that day. was he making a connection in chicago? had he been visiting here? were there issues on other flights? and is dao still in the chicago area or back in kentucky? >> dr. dao is in a secure location. i must tell you, i can't tell you where he is because you guys are really good at what you do, and, you know, our plea is, please leave the guy alone. really. let him go. >> can we anticipate him speaking about this at all? >> say it one more time. >> can we anticipate him speaking out about this at all? >> yes. i pledge to you that will happen, but not now. okay? >> question about the timeline for the day. could you -- >> "wall street journal," as i recall? >> yes, andrew tangle.

can you please tell us where he and his wife were coming from and how long they had been traveling and also, was she not seated next to him on the plane? because she's not in some of the videos. >> well, do you -- >> my dad was making a connection in chicago from a trip to california. >> vacation, business? >> vacation. >> anybody over here i'm ignoring? >> back here. >> didn't mean to. >> jessica denoef roe with nbc 7 chicago. just a clarification here. you say that you wholeheartedly accept the apology from united, but yet, you say you think it was staged as well. >> yeah. i think his people, pr people say, we're taking a beating here. i mean, united has been taking a beating, okay? and that's not our role to beat

them up. our role is just to let the system work, okay? but they have been taking a beating, and i think, yeah, he was told, get out there, go on a national -- he picked "good morning america," okay? i'm sure he would have picked charlie rose, if he could. the fact is -- >> [ inaudible ] >> i'm sure. so, he was sought after, and he had to get out, he had to apologize! really. think about it. look at the video! i mean, even our president last night said that was horrible! spicer said it. anybody that looks at it says it. >> so, how do you accept a staged apology, in your opinion? >> because it's the right thing to do. he apologized. we accept that.

but that's not going to let them off the hook here. yes, sir. >>. [ inaudible ] from cnn again. when the doctor returns to kentucky, will he fly commercial or via another way? >> well, i'll tell you what he told me yesterday. he has no interest in ever seeing an airplane. my guess is he'll be driven to kentucky. okay? and i don't really blame him. yes, ma'am. >> lauren zumba with "the chicago tribune." just following up on an earlier question, was his wife also on that flight and was she also bumped from it? >> she was on the flight. she wasn't bumped. i don't think she was bumped. do you know? >> she wasn't bumped, but she was told to leave the plane once he was removed. >> that was something! we're listening right there to a lengthy press conference with

the attorneys for dr. david dao. his daughter there also, crystal pepper, speaking to the media about the lawsuit that clearly they will eventually be filing. a lot to discuss here. cnn aviation analyst and former inspector general for the u.s. department of transportation is here, mary schiavo, also has represented passengers in their lawsuits. and also joining me, marvette brito. that was something, justin green. he clearly -- it seemed as you said, he's laying out his closing argument right there before the press. what kind of case did he lay out? >> i think he laid out a very compelling case, and i think united has a major problem. one of the things i told you offset or off cam was was cook county, illinois, the court that he said he's going to file his lawsuit in, is a very good lawsuit, if you're a plaintiff. and the last place on earth that united airlines is going to want to face a lawsuit that's going to claim competence entry damages, which we just learned

are more significant than i think anyone believed -- concussion, lost teeth -- >> on the injuries. >> and also a punitive damage claim. so, i think mr. demetrio laid out a very good case. how much are they talking about? >> multiple millions of dollars. >> and a master class of how to lay out your case in front of the court of public opinion. >> what often happens, and i've had many cases like this and seen it many times, is the video disappears and it's important to get that from the airplane, because it might be the % many times is the video disappears and it's important to get that from the airport because it might be the airport's video rather than united to secure that evidence. and so united is in a box. the evidence can't disappear.

the federal regulations that might have protected them do not, because this was not a denied boarding. this was booting people and breaking a legal contract with a passenger to put on crew. so united doesn't have the federal law to fall back on. and now they've moved to secure the evidence. united's in quite a pickle. and they should have reached out immediately to apologize. and to help. >> well, marvette, to that point, we heard a couple things about the apology. we heard a public apology that the ceo of united offered on abc in a couple different ways after some nonapology. the attorney for david dou says he doesn't believe the ceo's apology and he also says even though the united ceo said to abs th abc they reached out to david dou the attorney said no, they have not. >> this is definitely a pickle for united because in instances of crisis, it's smart to respond in a proactive way. at that point you can control

the message and you can control what the public hears about what took place. the ceo of united didn't do that and he was slow to react, slow to respond. therefore, the video was playing to the public. and that is all the public saw. so it's very hard to pivot from that. it took him long which is why it seems insensitive and insincere. it's going to be difficult for them to recover because there was excessive force. again, this is an airline whose core values are built on fly the friendly skies. so oscar should have immediately apologized to the family while he gathered the intel. >> let's play one of the sound bites, the ceo of united in speaking to abc news. let's listen to this. >> do you think he's at ault in any way? >> no. he can't be. he was a paying passenger sitting on our seat in our aircraft and no one should be treated that way. period. >> so right there the ceo is

saying that david dou didn't do anything wrong. >> and he hesitated. >> from here on out after seeing what we just saw play out in chicago at that press conference, can united do anything to stop this lawsuit from happening or make this go away? >> they can settle. because that's really about all they can do at this point. they've been convicted in the court of public opinion which i've said many times is the most dangerous court. they should have gotten ahead of this. not only do they have a problem with the doctor and this family, they have other passengers who could very likely step forward from the sound of the press conference it seems as though to your point this could be more than just him stepping forward and going against united airlines and he also mentioned all of the customers and even united employees who are -- >> who he said has reached out to him. >> as justin mentioned, we learned about the injuries that david dou suffered. he was discharged last night. he suffered a concussion, a broken nose.

he lost two front teeth and he's going to be undergoing reconstructive surgery. what does that say? >> well, hugely violent encounter and hugely unnecessary. what it says is not only does he have physical injuries, but the potential of a brain injury which is a huge damage claim and one other thing i wanted to add, they said we don't know if this will be a class action. i don't know that either, but i can tell you this goes on virtually every day where paying passengers, and it's not an overbooking, but they're kicked off for crew. i witnessed it myself. saw it a couple months ago. some crew ran up after the plane was boarded and the gate agent says do you want me to kick some people off, so i think this is the tip of the iceberg and it will require some regulatory change. >> thank you so much for joining me. that's not the last we're going to hear of that attorney or this pending lawsuit. thank you all so much. also following breaking news, an

american led coalition strike mistakenly killing more than a dozen u.s. backed fighter in syria. new details on what happened. plus the man accused of launching the chemical attack against his own people speaking out for the first time since the chemical attack and since the u.s. strikes that followed. why the syrian dictator says he didn't do it. and president trump flip flopping on more than half a dozen issues in 24 hours. why he suggests being president is harder than he thought. we'll be right back. wherever you are. it's your trade. e*trade

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welcome to "inside politics." i'm john king. thanks for sharing your day with us. a president who prides himself on being flexible is more than proving his point. on the world stage vladimir putin now gets scorned, not praise. nato is suddenly essential and china moves from campaign enemy to new global partner. >> right now we're not getting along with russia at all. we may be at an all-time low in terms of relationship with russia. >> and here at home, more big shifts. kind words