Avington Carr:
I never wanted that fucking airline and neither did my brother, it was my father that wanted it. I like baseball. Lang:
Oh, I like baseball.
Anderson:
The whole country likes baseball-
Carr:
Cut the crap. So what’s the deal, Lenny? Is your union going to survive this one? More importantly, how big of a check do you think I’m going to have to write?
Len:
Well you had six fatalities on board.
Lang: [slight chuckle]
No, no, it’s four. The two crew members don’t count. I don’t mean they don’t count. They don’t get settlements like the passengers. That’s a workman’s comp claim, part of the union contract. They do a dangerous job; they know it.
Carr:
Are you the lawyer for the pilots’ union?
Caldwell:
No, sir, this is Hugh Lang. He’s the attorney we brought on board to handle the criminal side of Captain Whitaker’s situation.
Carr:
And what is Mr. Whitaker’s situation? NTSB is up my ass with a flashlight. We had to give them access to everything. Everybody’s curious about Captain Whitaker.
Anderson:
Well I flew with him in the Navy and he is a great pilot.
Carr:
Huh. Is he a drunk?
Anderson: [slight pause]
He is a heavy drinker. But maybe I should bring him-
Carr:
In a minute. Alright so let’s get down to it, Lenny. What does the union plan to do about this blood test saying Whitaker was high on booze and coke? This guy’s a real peach.
Lang:
Well, I’m going to kill the toxicology report. The testing was done incompetently. The toxicology equipment they used was last calibrated in June of 2009, already eighteen months past code. Their log that should clearly state who labeled the blood vials and when, is very incomplete. And they used a preservative in the blood that has been known to cause fermentation of the blood and in some cases register higher in an alcohol test. Now, I’ve done all this and I’ve only been here a few days so, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I can handle this.
Carr: [laughs]
I like this guy, Lenny. He makes we want to go out, sniff a few lines and then fly a jet.
Caldwell:
Mr. Carr, we are going to fight to push all fault on the manufacturer, Jackson-Ridgefield.
Carr:
And you think they’re just going to open their check book and buy us all lunch? Good fucking luck. What’s my exposure, Jim?
Jim:
Well the awards to the families could kill the airline.
Carr:
Fuck the airline. Insurance companies can have the goddamn airline. I just don’t want them sniffing my other pockets.
Caldwell:
Speaking for the pilots’ union, sir, we don’t want to see your airline go away. We enjoy the contract you have with us. We’re going to protect Captain Whitaker and in turn, we’re going to protect your airline.
Carr:
Does Whitaker know he’s going to jail?
Lang:
My clients don’t go to jail, Mr. Carr.
Carr:
Oh, he’s going to jail. He belongs in jail, bet your ass he’s going to jail. Only question is, is he going to die in jail?
Lang:
You’re wrong, Mr. Carr.
Carr’s lawyer:
Last time I checked six counts of manslaughter is life in prison.
Carr:
Life in prison. What we in Georgia call “all day long”.
