American Airlines Retirees Lose Class Bid in Pension Data Suit

A lawsuit accusing American Airlines Inc. of shortchanging certain retirees’ pensions by using outdated life expectancy data can’t move forward as a class action because of inadequate class representatives, a federal judge in the Northern District of Texas ruled.

The lawsuit by Olga Martinez Torres seeks changes to the airline’s pension plans that would reduce the benefits of some of the retirees she seeks to represent, Judge Reed O’Connor said in a May 22 opinion. This conflict means Martinez Torres and her three co-plaintiffs aren’t adequate class representatives, O’Connor said.

Martinez Torres accuses the airline of violating the Employee Retirement ...