A federal judge has dismissed Delta Air Lines from more than 19 pending lawsuits involving a fatal plane crash in Lexington, Kentucky, two years ago. The 13-page opinion by U.S. District Judge Karl Forester says no Delta employee could be held liable for the crash of Comair Flight 5191. The plane crashed shortly after taking off from the wrong runway at Blue Grass Airport, killing 49 of 50 people on board. Comair is a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Delta Airlines, but Delta argued that each has separate management, differing policies and procedures and each employs its own pilots. One lawyer for the plaintiffs says the dismissal of Delta from the lawsuits won't affect an Aug. 4 trial on damages.
