McGill engineering prof clashes with United Airlines in court

Jeremy Cooperstock swears he won't give up his fight against the corporate giant, United Airlines, to keep intact his website where he has been collecting complaints against the airline for nearly two decades.

"This is a matter of principle," he said outside the Montreal courtroom where he is arguing on his own behalf against a lawyer for United Airlines.

Three and a half years after United Airlines filed a lawsuit in Quebec Superior Court against Cooperstock over his website Untied.com, arguments began Friday.

The company wants contact information of United Airlines employees who are not involved in customer service to be removed from Cooperstock's website, which gathers complaints from the public and provides tips on how to lodge complaints with the airline.

In court, United's lawyer insisted the aim was not to shut down Untied.com, but rather to stop a barrage of emails that he said border on harassment to officials who have no authority over customer complaints.

That was reiterated in a statement from United Airlines.

"We have always maintained that we are not looking to shut down the website, but to prevent Mr. Cooperstock from misdirecting customers to contact individuals who cannot assist them," said Erin Benson, a spokesperson for the airline.

'Corporate bully'

But Cooperstock, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, sees the battle differently.

"What's taking place here is United Airlines is trying to be the big corporate bully, with their billions of dollars at their disposal and silence a critic," Cooperstock said Friday.

The professor said the claims that several senior United Airlines' managers suffered harassment are "grossly exaggerated".

Judge pleads for out-of-court deal

Superior Court Justice Louis Crête took time before hearing arguments to appeal to both sides to be practical.

"Is there no way to settle this case?" he pleaded.

"Is it not possible to be practical at one point?"

Cooperstock and the four-member team from United Airlines sat down in a private room for a few minutes, but they were unable to come to an agreement. At one point, Cooperstock's voice was raised in anger, audible from behind the closed door.

The professor told CBC the airline agreed to allow the contact information of some employees to remain on the website, in exchange for the removal of other names.

Cooperstock said he proposed the same compromise two years ago, but United Airlines did not respond at that time. 

Now he wants to be paid for his lost time — money which he says he would donate to charity.

"I want compensation for the three and a half years of my life that [they] stole from me," he said, referring to the date the lawsuit was first filed in Quebec Superior Court.

He said airline officials offered him $1 as financial compensation on Friday — which he called a joke and not nearly enough.

"I am tired but somebody has to stand up and fight the fight," Cooperstock said.

The trial is expected to last 4 days, with a decision within six months.

"If I win in court, it will be worth it," he said. "If I lose, I will have to close down my website."