Aviation Liability and Regulatory Risk: Passenger Injury Defenses, Federal Preemption, Compliance & Enforcement

Christopher J. Jahr, Partner | Wicker, Smith, O’Hara, McCoy & Ford, P.A

Christopher J. Jahr defends major airlines, aircraft operators, fixed base operators, and aviation product manufacturers in litigation in state and federal court. A partner in the firm’s Fort Lauderdale office who leads its Aviation practice team, he is a Board Certified Specialist in Aviation Law and an active instrument-rated airplane pilot. Federal Preemption is among the aviation law topics on which he has written and lectured.

• Education & Credentials

Mr. Jahr received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2009 and his B.S., magna cum laude, from Tulane University in 2004. His aviation education includes Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Class of 2001) and Private Pilot and Instrument Rating credentials from Epic Aviation (2005). He holds Board Certification in Aviation Law from The Florida Bar and is admitted to The Florida Bar (2009), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (2016), and the U.S. District Courts for the Southern (2011), Middle (2012), and Northern (2014) Districts of Florida.

• Recognition & Leadership

The President of The Florida Bar appointed Mr. Jahr to the Aviation Law Board Certification Committee for the 2019-2021 term, where he helped write the Aviation Law Board Certification examination that The Florida Bar administers. He has also been selected by the Bar’s President to serve on The Florida Bar’s Aviation Law Committee from 2016 to present, a body charged with tracking developments in aviation law, legislation, and regulation and reporting significant changes to Bar members.

• Professional Involvement

His writing and lectures on aviation law address Federal Preemption; Frequently Violated Federal Aviation Regulations – from a Pilot’s Perspective; When Can an Air Carrier Refuse Transport to a Passenger with a Communicable Disease; and The Small Airplane Revitalization Act, along with topics in civil litigation and trial practice. He belongs to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and its Political Action Committee and to the Broward County Bar Association.

In his community, Mr. Jahr served as a School Board Member of Parkway Christian School (2019-2021) and on the Personnel Committee of Parkway Christian Church (2017-2018). At First Presbyterian Church of Fort Lauderdale, he served as an Elder (2012 – 2014) and as Chairman of the Scholarship Committee (2013 – 2014).

• Experience

Mr. Jahr’s airline passenger work includes the defense of a major Atlanta-based airline in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, where a passenger claimed a hard landing on a 2019 Fort Lauderdale-to-Raleigh flight caused a compression fracture in her spine. His team assembled biomechanical, orthopedic, and piloting experts, struck the plaintiff’s piloting expert, and won summary judgment, which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed in 2022. He also won summary judgment for a major Atlanta-based airline in a federal suit brought by a passenger denied boarding because she appeared intoxicated, a published opinion that continues to be cited as Florida precedent for air carriers.

He has represented several major air carriers in accident investigation and litigation arising under the Montreal Convention and Warsaw Convention, for accidents both inside and outside the United States. He regularly works with air carriers, maintenance facilities, and manufacturers during NTSB investigations after aircraft accidents, and he secured dismissal of all claims against an aircraft repair facility accused of causing corrosion through routine cleanings, a result affirmed by Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal.

Outside aviation, Mr. Jahr represents life insurance and liability insurance carriers in coverage and interpleader matters and defends premises liability, automobile negligence, and other claims. He has defended businesses and corporate executives against allegations of slander, defamation, conversion, tortious interference, and violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, and his appellate work has reached The Florida Supreme Court and The United States Supreme Court.

Michael Deutsch, Member | Cozen O’Connor

Michael Deutsch advises U.S. and foreign passenger and cargo airlines, airports, and other aviation businesses on the U.S. aviation rules enforced by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), as well as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). A Member in Cozen O’Connor’s Washington, D.C. office, he focuses on aviation regulatory and security matters, and he came to private practice from the FAA’s Office of the General Counsel and the DOT Honors Attorney program.

• Education & Credentials

Mr. Deutsch earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law in 2016 and his B.A., cum laude, from Georgetown University in 2013. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Florida.

• Recognition & Leadership

Mr. Deutsch serves as Treasurer of the Governing Committee of the American Bar Association Forum on Air and Space Law. The Legal 500 United States named him a “Next Generation Partner” for Transport: Aviation and Air Travel Litigation and Regulation in 2026, following recognition as a “Leading Associate” in 2025 and a “Rising Star” in 2023-2024. He has been included in Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” for 2023-2027 and was named to the Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll in 2023.

• Professional Involvement

His recent writing tracks DOT enforcement and regulatory policy, including alerts on the U.S. DOT’s proposed reforms for administrative enforcement, rulemaking, and guidance (2025) and on the DOT’s deregulatory shift in aviation consumer protection (2026), as well as an article in The Air & Space Lawyer on DOT’s proposed aviation consumer protection regulations (2023). He has presented The New DOT/State AG Partnership: Practical Guidance for the Aviation Industry (2024 webinar), took part in the 2025 Malta Aviation Conference and Expo, and appeared as a guest on Federal Drive with Terry Gerton to discuss a DOT Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. He is a member of the International Aviation Club and the Aero Club of Washington.

• Experience

Mr. Deutsch regularly counsels clients on DOT and FAA licensing and registration requirements, U.S. carrier citizenship laws, economic and code-sharing authority, and investigations and enforcement actions, along with consumer protection, competition, flight schools, repair stations, traffic rights under bilateral air service agreements, airport slots, and compliance with ICAO standards. His client base extends to Part 380 public charter operators, aviation industry trade associations, aircraft ferry operators, global business jet companies, and advanced air mobility/air taxi and drone operators and manufacturers, and he advises banks, consulting firms, and private equity funds on U.S. aviation regulatory compliance in mergers and acquisitions, citizenship, licensing, and certification.

On aviation security, he advises airlines, airports, aviation security vendors, indirect air carriers, authorized representatives, and other TSA-regulated entities on TSA regulations and programs, including the Aircraft Operator Standard Security Program (AOSSP), Full All-Cargo Aircraft Operator Standard Security Program (FACAOSSP), Indirect Air Carrier Standard Security Program (IACSSP), Foreign Air Carrier Model Security Program (MSP), Certified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP), and Certified Cargo Screening Program – Canine (CCSP-K9). He counsels clients through TSA administrative investigations and civil enforcement actions and has successfully mitigated proposed TSA civil penalties. He has also reviewed client TSA programs in detail and joined on-site audits to surface potential compliance concerns.

His government experience includes service in the FAA’s Office of the General Counsel and, as a DOT Honors Attorney, rotations with the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). He also advises on U.S. sanctions enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), with a particular focus on Cuba, and on Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) requirements, including approvals and special permits for carrying forbidden hazardous materials.

Amanda Geary Losacco, Associate | Cozen O’Connor

Amanda Geary Losacco is an associate at Cozen O’Connor in Washington, D.C., whose practice focuses on aviation and aerospace regulatory compliance, litigation, and administrative enforcement risk management. She advises U.S. and foreign airlines, air taxi and advanced air mobility operators and manufacturers, uncrewed aircraft systems operators, global business jet companies, and other aviation industry clients on federal aviation regulations, rulemaking, and litigation. Her work includes advising on aviation operations, safety, administrative investigations, licensing, certification, civil penalty and certificate actions, competition, economic regulations, commercial agreements, corporate transactions, and other aviation and aerospace-related transactions. Before entering private practice, she served as an attorney adviser in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of the Chief Counsel, advising stakeholders and industry personnel on regulatory compliance for aerospace operations, licensing, and certification. She began her legal career as a federal judicial law clerk in the U.S. District Court, where she worked on civil litigation matters. Her experience in government service and federal judicial clerkship informs her approach to regulatory compliance, risk management, and litigation involving regulated aerospace entities.

• Education & Credentials

Amanda earned her Juris Doctor, summa cum laude, from Duquesne University School of Law in 2018, where she served as executive editor of the Duquesne Law Review and was named to the National Order of Barristers. She received her Bachelor of Arts in international studies and French from Allegheny College in 2015. She is admitted to practice law in New York and the District of Columbia.

• Recognition & Leadership

Amanda graduated summa cum laude from Duquesne University School of Law, served as executive editor of the Duquesne Law Review, and was named to the National Order of Barristers. These distinctions are identified in her official biography.

• Professional Involvement

Amanda is affiliated with the American Bar Association Forum on Air & Space Law, the International Aerospace Women’s Association, and the National Association of Women Lawyers.

• Experience

Amanda advises aviation and aerospace clients on federal regulatory compliance, statutory interpretation, rulemaking, litigation, and administrative enforcement matters. Her experience includes matters involving the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation Security Administration, Federal Communications Commission, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. She also counsels aviation and aerospace businesses on economic regulatory compliance related to commercial agreements and corporate transactions. Previously, she served as an attorney adviser at the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of the Chief Counsel, advising on aerospace operations, licensing, and certification, including issues affecting new entrants. Earlier in her career, she clerked for a federal judge in the U.S. District Court, working on civil litigation and developing experience relevant to litigation involving regulated entities and the interaction between regulatory requirements and statutory obligations.

SESSION 1 – Litigation Strategies in Airline Passenger Injury Litigation: | 2:30pm – 3:30pm ET

This session covers litigation strategies in airline passenger injury litigation. Attorneys will learn how to present arguments related to both implied federal preemption and express federal preemption under the Airline Deregulation Act. International treaties such as the Montreal Convention will also be discussed. Attendees will leave with a working understanding of these topics and practical strategies for how to apply these topics to airline litigation.

BREAK | 3:30pm – 3:40pm ET

SESSION 2 – Aviation Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement Risk Management: | 3:40pm – 4:40pm ET

This session provides a practical overview of the federal regulatory framework applicable to air carriers, ticket agents, and other sellers of air travel. The presentation will examine the respective roles of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Attendees will gain practica guidance on identifying compliance issues before they become enforcement matters and responding effectively when regulators become involved.