Diane Westwood Wilson

Partner

New York, NY Tel: 212.878.1431 Fax: 212.692.0940

Biography

Diane is a seasoned attorney with over 30 years of multijurisdictional experience representing clients — particularly in the aerospace, aviation and insurance industries — in high-stakes commercial litigation throughout the U.S. and in international courts and arbitral forums.

In addition, she provides strategic legal counselling to a wide variety of airlines, airports and manufacturers.

Diane has been involved in many of the aviation industry’s most significant cases, including representing EL AL Israel Airlines, Ltd. in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court multilateral treaty case (EL AL Israel Airlines v. Tseng) that established the Montreal Convention as the exclusive cause of action in air disasters, barring recovery under alternative theories of liability. Diane tried the case in the Southern District of New York, argued the appeal before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, petitioned for writ of certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court and argued the case to the Court, obtaining a reversal of the Second Circuit ruling and setting international aviation treaty law precedent in the process.*

She also represented airline defendants in Chan v. Korean Air and Olympic Airways v. Hussain before the U.S. Supreme Court.*

^{*Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.}

Diane is a seasoned attorney with over 30 years of multijurisdictional experience representing clients — particularly in the aerospace, aviation and insurance industries — in high-stakes commercial litigation throughout the U.S. and in international courts and arbitral forums.

In addition, she provides strategic legal counselling to a wide variety of airlines, airports and manufacturers.

Diane has been involved in many of the aviation industry’s most significant cases, including representing EL AL Israel Airlines, Ltd. in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court multilateral treaty case (EL AL Israel Airlines v. Tseng) that established the Montreal Convention as the exclusive cause of action in air disasters, barring recovery under alternative theories of liability. Diane tried the case in the Southern District of New York, argued the appeal before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, petitioned for writ of certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court and argued the case to the Court, obtaining a reversal of the Second Circuit ruling and setting international aviation treaty law precedent in the process.*

She also represented airline defendants in Chan v. Korean Air and Olympic Airways v. Hussain before the U.S. Supreme Court.*

^{*Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.}

Representative Matters*

Carlyle Aviation Partners coverage action in Florida State Court
EMB A-29 crash in White Sands Missile Range, NM
Virginia State Police Bell 407 Helicopter crash in Charlottesville, VA
Schweizer 369 Helicopter crash in which Troy Gentry lost his life in Medford, New Jersey
Representation of Costa Rican MRO in successful resolution of $6.5 million claim asserted by one of the largest commercial airline leasing companies
Air Century Flight CEY521
Air India Express Flight 812 at Mangalore
Continental Airlines Flight 128 Severe Turbulence
Tropic Air Flight 9N2300 (Belize)
In re Deep Vein Thrombosis Litigation
Astrium v. Dutch Space satellite litigation
Swissair Flight 111 Crash
TAM Airlines Flight 402 at Sao Paulo
Enforcement of arbitration clause in Travelport Nigeria contract
Enforcement of UK default foreign money judgment by New York Court of Appeals
Euro USA Trading US $9 million+ judgment enforcing exclusive trademark licensing agreement
British Airways Flight 149 during Invasion of Kuwait
American Eagle Flight 4184 near Roselawn, Indiana
Korean Airlines 007 Shoot Down by Soviet Union
Arrow Air Disaster at Gander, Newfoundland
Japan Air Lines Mount Gumna Crash
TWA Flight 800
Liability Counsel for JFK IAT Terminal 4 construction and operations
British Airways Holidays Bus Crash near Kent, United Kingdom
Mercury Bay Boating Club Challenge for the America's Cup
ICC arbitration joint venture dispute between United Kingdom and German conglomerates
MGM Retroactive Insurance Litigation