Mile High Snub: Dao Lawyer Says Airlines Have ‘Bullied’ Passengers for Years

A lawyer representing the man who was violently dragged from a United Airlines flight on April 9 has stated that the man will need reconstructive surgery after the incident and claims the company has been bullying passengers for years.

Attorney Thomas Demetrio, who is representing 69-year-old Dr. David Dao, held a news conference on Thursday and announced that they will likely sue the airline, as well as the city of Chicago, which employs the guards that dragged Dao off.

"For a long time airlines, United in particular, have bullied us," Demetrio stated. "Will there be a lawsuit? Yeah, probably."

Dao was brutalized while attempting to fly from O'Hare International Airport to Louisville, Kentucky, in an incident that was caught on video and immediately went viral. The doctor, a paying customer, had been told he was being removed from the flight to make room for crew members who needed to board. When Dao refused to leave the plane, he was violently dragged off by his wrists.

Dao, who came to the US in 1975, described the incident as more terrifying than his experience fleeing Vietnam over three decades ago.

Following the incident, Dao was hospitalized for a significant concussion, a broken nose, and his two front teeth having been knocked out. Demetrio confirmed that Dao was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday evening, but will need to return for surgery.

Crystal Dao Pepper, Dao’s 33-year-old daughter, also spoke at the news conference. She explained that the family is "horrified, shocked and sickened" by the incident.

Activists had also gathered on Thursday morning to protest the incident outside of O'Hare.

— Jigme (@JigmeUgen) April 12, 2017

In a deeply tone-deaf initial response to the backlash, Oscar Munoz, CEO of United Airlines, blamed the passenger for defying Chicago Aviation Security Officers in an email to employees that was obtained by CNBC reporter Steve Kopack.

“As you will read, the situation was unfortunately compounded when one of the passengers we politely asked to deplane refused and it became necessary to contact the Chicago Aviation Security Officers to help. Our employees followed established procedures for dealing with situations like this,” Munoz wrote.

Munoz went on to state that the situation is still under investigation, “especially with respect to why this customer defied Chicago Aviation Security Officers the way he did."

Following United’s stock going into a freefall, Munoz issued a more contrite apology.

In an ABC News interview on Tuesday, Munoz stated that he "deeply" apologizes to Dao, and announced that United will no longer involve law enforcement officers in the removal of passengers from overbooked flights.

Demetrio reports that neither the Dao family nor Dao’s legal team have heard from United. other than the public apologies. He noted that while they accept the apology, they also believe the public statements have been insincere and staged, and simply a measured response to their public relations “beating.”

Chicago's Aviation Department has placed three officers on leave due to their involvement in the incident.