AVVO Superb Score 10 out of 10 | AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated
John A. Greaves is an experienced airline transport pilot and a former airline captain. He is also a seasoned airline accident lawyer.
John has represented hundreds of airline accident victims in more than 35 airline disasters, representing clients in virtually every major U.S. airline disaster in the last 20 years.
He was on the legal team that negotiated one of Baum Hedlund’s most significant aviation litigation achievements when the firm won, as part of the settlement in the January 8, 2003 Air Midwest Flight 5481 crash in Charlotte, NC, the agreement of the airline and maintenance company, in an organized ceremony, to deliver an unprecedented official public apology to the families for the crash.
The Aviation Section of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) awarded John with “Outstanding Section Member, 2009″ for his significant contribution to an AAJ legislation project to seek better compensation for victims of general aviation accidents.
As well, John has been chosen by his peers for several years in a row to be listed in Southern California Super Lawyers®. He has Martindale Hubbell’s highest AV® Peer Review Rating, and he is also listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers and has the highest Avvo.com superb score of 10.
John is a member of the state bars of California, the District of Columbia, Iowa and Missouri. He is also a member of the American Association for Justice, Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association and Air Line Pilots Association.
He has been appointed to the following aviation litigation committees: Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee, MDL-2085, In Re: Air Crash near Clarence Center, New York, on February 12, 2009; Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee, September 11, 2001 Tort Litigation (airline passenger cases); Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, MDL-1448, American Airlines 587 Crash, Belle Harbor (Queens), New York, 2001; Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, Singapore Airlines Crash, Taipei, Taiwan, 2000; and the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, Atlantic Southeast Airlines Crash, near Carrollton, Georgia, 1995.
As an airline transport rated pilot and former Captain for Comair, John has flown over 10,000 hours total flight time since 1966 and over 3,000 hours as a Captain in Part 121 and Part 135 scheduled airline operations.
John has been a licensed pilot for more than 40 years, five years of which were as a pilot in scheduled airlines service, and four years of which were in the capacity of captain. Details of his pilot experience include Comair Airlines, Captain; Wright Airlines, First Officer; Aero-Mech Airlines, First Officer; and Air Illinois, First Officer.
As an airline captain, John supervised flight and ground crews; and ensured compliance with all FAA operations and maintenance regulations, documents and inspections. He served six years as a Flight Instructor and four years as a Charter Pilot and Charter Company Operator. He was the Operator/President/CEO of VIP Pilot, Inc. He was Contract Administration Committee Chairman for the Air Line Pilots Association, Council 37 and received their Distinguished Service Award.
Seconds to Disaster
Authors interview John Greaves for their new book "Seconds to Disaster." John provided his unique perspective as an airline captain and airline disaster attorney. The book uncovers problems within the airline industry and reveals how aviation practices overshadow safety standards.
Practice Areas
Education
- University of Missouri at Kansas City (B.A., 1976)
- Drake University Law School (J.D., With Honors, 1992)
- Drake University College of Business and Public Administration (M.P.A., 1992)
- Airline Transport Pilot License, USA (1982)
Court Admissions
- Iowa, 1992 (Inactive member)
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa, 1992 (Inactive member)
- California, 1994
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, 1994
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 1995
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, 1995
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, 1995
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, 1995
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 1995
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, 1995
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York, 1996
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 2000
- District of Columbia, 2001 (Inactive member)
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, 2002
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 2002
- Missouri, 2004 (Inactive member as of 2023)
- U.S. District Court, Western District of New York, 2009
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, 2021 (Inactive member)
Awards and Honors
Litigation Leadership
- Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee, MDL-2085, In Re: Air Crash near Clarence Center, New York, on February 12, 2009
- Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee, September 11, 2001 Tort Litigation
- Member, Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, MDL-1448, American Airlines 587 Crash, Belle Harbor (Queens), New York, 2001
- Member, Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, Singapore Airlines Crash, Taipei, Taiwan, 2000
- Member, Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, Atlantic Southeast Airlines Crash, near Carrollton, Georgia, 1995
Member
- State Bar of California
- State Bar of Iowa (Inactive member)
- District of Columbia Bar (Inactive member)
- State Bar of Missouri
- Air Line Pilots Association (Inactive member)
- Delta Theta Phi
Presentations / Speeches
Topic: “Successful Handling of Wrongful Death Cases in California”
Organization: Lorman Education Services
Event: Seminar
Location: Los Angeles, California
Date: January 2002
Topic: Aviation Litigation
Organization: American Bar Association
Event: ABA Aviation Litigation Seminar, Tort and Insurance Practice Section, Aviation Space Law Committee
Location: Washington, D.C.
Date: 1999
Author
Published Cases
- Feazell v. Mesa Airlines, Inc., 917 S.W. 2d 895 (Tex. App. 1996)
- In re Air Crash Off Point Mugu, California, on January 30, 2000 145 F.Supp.2d 1156 (N.D.Cal., 2001)
Non-published Cases:
- In re September 11 Litigation No. 21 MC 97 (AKH), 2003 WL 22251325 (S.D.N.Y. 2003)
Notable Media Appearances
TV
- Court TV
- EXTRA
- KTTV Fox 11 News Los Angeles
- Fox Business News, America’s Nightly Scoreboard
- Fox New Business Channel, Your World with Neil Cavuto
- Fox News – Fox & Friends
- KCAL News Los Angeles
- KCOP News Los Angeles
- KNBC News Los Angeles
- MSNBC
Radio
- ABC Radio – Dennis Prager Show
- Associated Press Radio
- Business Talk Radio
- KFI AM 640 John & Ken Show
- KROQ FM Los Angeles
- KTSA CBS Radio San Antonio
- KTVT Radio, San Antonio
- Radio Europe, Boland Show International
- WHR Radio, Cleveland
- WICC Radio, Bridgeport
- WVON Chicago Radio
Books
- Nine Minutes, Twenty Seconds The Tragedy & Triumph of ASA Flight 529 [Gary M. Pomerantz]
- Seconds to Disaster [Ray Ronan and Glen Meade]
News
- Airline Industry Information
- Airline Industry News
- Andrews Litigation Reporters
- Associated Press
- Aviationanswers.com
- Bloomberg News
- Cape Cod Times
- Christian Science MonitorCincinnati Post
- CNN.com
- Connecticut Law Tribune
- Crain’s Chicago Business
- Crains New York Business
- Kentucky Post
- Los Angeles Times
- Legal Talk Network
- National Law Journal
- Newsday (New York)
- Readers Digest
- San Francisco Chronicle
- Seattle Times
- Smart Brief
- St. Louis Post Dispatch
- Wall Street Journal
Pilot Experience
Ratings:
- Airline Transport Pilot Certificate, Multi-Engine Land, with type ratings for the EMB-110, SD-3, SF-340 airliners
Hours:
- 10,000+ hours total flight time since 1966
- 3,000+ hours as Captain in Part 121 and Part 135 scheduled airline operations
- 39 years as a licensed pilot
- 5 years as a pilot in scheduled airlines service, 4 years of which were in the capacity of captain
Aviation Experience:
- Comair Airlines, Captain
- Wright Airlines, First Officer
- Aero-Mech Airlines, First Officer
- Air Illinois, First Officer
- As an airline captain, John supervised flight and ground crews; and ensured compliance with all FAA operations and maintenance regulations, documents and inspections.
- 6 years as a Flight Instructor
- 4 years experience as a Charter Pilot and Charter Company Operator/President/CEO of VIPilot, Inc.
- Contract Administration Committee Chairman, Air Line Pilots Association, Council 37
Awards:
- Air Line Pilots Association, Council 37, Distinguished Service Award
Qualified as Pilot-In-Command in:
- Saab-340
- SD-3
- EMB-110
- Piper Aerostar
- Piper Navajo
- Piper Seneca
- Cessna 310
- Cessna 340
- Cessna 411
- Cessna 421
- Cessna 441 Conquest
- Beechcraft 99 Airliner
- Beechcraft Baron
- Beechcraft King Air
