United , Chicago agree to preserve evidence in dragged passenger incident

CHICAGO — United Airlines and the city of Chicago have agreed to keep video and other records from a flight where a passenger who refused to give up his seat was dragged off the plane, the passenger's attorney said.

Attorneys for the passenger, David Dao, took the first step toward a lawsuit last week, asking the Cook County Circuit Court for an order requiring United and the city to preserve records of the incident and the personnel files of the Aviation Department officers who pulled Dao from the plane.

A hearing scheduled for Monday morning was canceled because United and the city "agreed to preserve and protect the evidence requested," Dao's attorney, Thomas Demetrio, said in a statement.

United declined to comment, citing the potential litigation. "Our focus is reviewing our policies so something like this doesn't happen again," said spokesman Jonathan Guerin.

Dao, 69, of Elizabethtown, Ky., was one of four passengers picked to be bumped from a flight from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Louisville, Ky. to make room for airline employees added to the flight shortly before it departed April 9.

When Dao refused to leave his seat, Aviation Department officers dragged him from the plane. Dao suffered a significant concussion, a broken nose and a sinus injury and lost two front teeth, according to Demetrio, who said the incident likely will result in a lawsuit.