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Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 1 of 39
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`UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
`DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS
`
`Judge: Hon. Angel Kelley
`
`Case No. 1:22-cv-11032-AK
`
`JURY TRIAL DEMANDED
`
`RONALD KRICK, Individually and on Behalf
`of the Estate of Oliver Krick; MARGARETA
`KRICK; CHRISTOPHER KRICK; DOUGLAS
`KEVORKIAN, Individually and on Behalf of
`the Estate of Ralph Kevorkian; LISA
`MICHELSON, Individually and on Behalf of
`the Estate of Yonatan Rojany; ERIC ROJANY;
`JODELLE GEARON, Individually and on
`Behalf of the Estate of Daniel Gaetke; TODD
`GAETKE; CRAIG GAETKE; WANDA KEMP,
`Individually and on Behalf of the Estates of O.
`Lamar Allen and Ashton Allen; CHRISTINE
`GROGAN; EILEEN ZAHARIOUDAKIS,
`Individually and Behalf of the Estate of
`Donald Gough; MICHAEL DETERESA;
`CHARLES HENRY GRAY, IV, Individually
`and on Behalf of the Estate of Charles Henry
`Gray, III; and CHADWICK GRAHAM GRAY.
`
`Plaintiffs
`
`
`v.
`
`RAYTHEON COMPANY; RAYTHEON
`TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION;
`LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION;
`UNITED STATES MISSILE DEFENSE
`AGENCY; UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT
`OF DEFENSE; UNITED STATES NAVY; and
`DOES 1 through, 20, inclusive,
`
`
`
`Defendants.
`
`FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT FOR DAMAGES
`
`1
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`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 2 of 39
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`I.
`
`INTRODUCTION
`
`1.
`
`The crash of Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 800 (“TWA 800”) was one
`
`of the deadliest aviation incidents in the history of the United States. It also resulted in
`
`what could be considered one of the nation’s biggest cover-ups.
`
`2.
`
`On July 17, 1996, a Boeing 747 headed for Paris took off from New York’s
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`John F. Kennedy International Airport at around 8:20 p.m. Within twelve minutes of
`
`takeoff, the plane exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Long
`
`Island, New York. All 230 passengers and crew members perished.
`
`3.
`
`After the incident, the federal government released a false report
`
`contending that the explosion was the result of an electrical fire in the airplane’s center
`
`fuel tank.
`
`4.
`
`Only recently, thanks to the work of physicist, Dr. Thomas Stalcup,
`
`through his Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) litigation in Massachusetts federal
`
`court, has evidence emerged proving that TWA 800’s explosion was not caused by any
`
`defect in the airplane, but instead by an errant United States missile fired at aerial target
`
`drones flying nearby.
`
`5.
`
`The evidence unearthed by Dr. Stalcup establishes that the United States
`
`Missile Defense Agency (formerly known as the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization),
`
`the United States Department of Defense, and the United States Navy (the
`
`“Government Defendants”), acting in concert and working side-by-side with Raytheon
`
`Company (now known as Raytheon Technologies Corporation) and Lockheed Martin
`
`Corporation (the “Contractor Defendants”) and DOES 1 through 20, inclusive
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`2
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`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 3 of 39
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`(collectively the “Defendants’) were testing the Aegis Weapons System and firing SM-2
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`missiles with live warheads from warship(s) at aerial missile targets off the coast of
`
`New York in close proximity to commercial airline flight paths. One such missile struck
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`TWA flight 800, causing it to break apart and crash into the Atlantic Ocean, killing
`
`everyone aboard.
`
`6.
`
`Newly discovered evidence also shows that these Defendants engaged in
`
`a top-down cover-up to prevent the public from learning the truth about TWA 800.
`
`Proof of this cover-up, and of Defendants’ underlying culpability for the crash, was
`
`only recently unearthed by Dr. Stalcup after more than a decade of FOIA litigation
`
`against the Government Defendants.
`
`7.
`
`Plaintiffs are the family members and estates of victims of the TWA 800
`
`crash. They bring this action to hold the Defendants liable for their reckless conduct
`
`and subsequent cover-up, and to vindicate the rights of those wrongly killed in the
`
`TWA 800 crash.
`
`II.
`
`JURISDICTION AND VENUE
`
`8.
`
`This is a civil action for money damages against the United States Missile
`
`Defense Agency (formerly known as the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization), the
`
`United States Department of Defense, the United States Navy, Raytheon Company,
`
`Raytheon Technologies Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and DOES 1
`
`through 20, inclusive, and their agents and employees. It arises from reckless and
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`grossly negligent conduct and wrongful acts and omissions resulting in the death of 230
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`3
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`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 4 of 39
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`individuals aboard TWA 800 over the Atlantic Ocean, including the decedents
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`represented by Plaintiffs herein.
`
`9.
`
`Two of the Defendants named in this complaint are headquartered within
`
`the District of Massachusetts. Specifically, Defendant Raytheon Company and
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`Defendant Raytheon Technologies Corporation both have their headquarters and
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`principal places of business in Waltham, Massachusetts.
`
`10.
`
`In addition, a related case, Thomas Stalcup v. Department of Defense, Case
`
`No. 1:13-cv-11967-LTS, has been pending in United States District Court, District of
`
`Massachusetts, for several years.
`
`11.
`
`Plaintiffs assert their claims against the Government Defendants, United
`
`States Missile Defense Agency (formerly known as the Ballistic Missile Defense
`
`Organization), the United States Department of Defense, and the United States Navy,
`
`under the Federal Tort Claims Act (“FTCA”) 28 U.S.C. § 2671 et seq.
`
`12.
`
`Jurisdiction over the subject matter of this case arises under 28 U.S.C. §§
`
`1331, 1332 and 28 U.S.C. § 1346(b).
`
`13.
`
`This Court may properly assert personal jurisdiction over all of the named
`
`Defendants because of their presence and activity in, and connections to, this forum.
`
`14.
`
`Venue is proper in this forum pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1402.
`
`
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`4
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`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 5 of 39
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`a.
`
`The Plaintiffs
`
`III. THE PARTIES
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`15.
`
`Plaintiff Ronald Krick resides in Missouri. He is the father of Oliver Krick
`
`and brings this action individually and as personal representative on behalf of the
`
`Estate of Oliver Krick, who died on TWA 800.
`
`16.
`
`Plaintiff Margareta Krick resides in Missouri. She is the mother of Oliver
`
`Krick and brings this action individually.
`
`17.
`
`Plaintiff Christopher Krick resides in Missouri. He is the brother of Oliver
`
`Krick and brings this action individually.
`
`18.
`
`Plaintiff Douglas Kevorkian resides in California. He is the son of Ralph
`
`G. Kevorkian and brings this action individually and as personal representative on
`
`behalf of the Estate of Ralph G. Kevorkian, who died on TWA 800.
`
`19.
`
`Plaintiff Lisa Michelson resides in California. She is the mother of
`
`Yonatan Rojany and brings this action individually and as personal representative on
`
`behalf of the Estate of Yonatan Rojany, who died on TWA 800.
`
`20.
`
`Plaintiff Eric Rojany resides in California. He is the brother of Yonatan
`
`Rojany and brings this action individually.
`
`21.
`
`Plaintiff Jodelle Gearon resides in Kansas. She is the sister of Daniel
`
`Gaetke and brings this action individually and as personal representative on behalf of
`
`the Estate of Daniel Gaetke, who died on TWA 800.
`
`22.
`
`Plaintiff Todd Gaetke resides in California. He is the brother of Daniel
`
`Gaetke and brings this action individually.
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`5
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`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 6 of 39
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`23.
`
`Plaintiff Craig Gaetke resides in Georgia. He is the brother of Daniel
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`Gaetke and brings this action individually.
`
`24.
`
`Plaintiff Wanda Kemp resides in Georgia. She is the sister of O. Lamar
`
`Allen and the aunt of Ashton Allen and brings this action individually and as personal
`
`representative on behalf of the Estates of O. Lamar Allen and Ashton Allen, both of
`
`whom died in the crash of TWA 800.
`
`25.
`
`Plaintiff Christine Grogan resides in California. She is the daughter of O.
`
`Lamar Allen and brings this action individually.
`
`26.
`
`Plaintiff Eileen Zaharioudakis resides in California. She is the sister of
`
`Donald E. Gough and brings this action individually and as personal representative on
`
`behalf of the Estate of Donald E. Gough, who died on TWA 800.
`
`27.
`
`Plaintiff Michael Deteresa resides in New Jersey. He is the nephew of
`
`Donald E. Gough and brings this action individually.
`
`28.
`
`Plaintiff Charles Henry Gray, IV resides in Tennessee. He is the son of
`
`Charles Henry Gray, III and brings this action individually and as personal
`
`representative on behalf of the Estate of Charles Henry Gray, III, who died on TWA 800.
`
`29.
`
`Plaintiff Chadwick Graham Gray resides in Florida. He is the son of
`
`Charles Henry Gray, III and brings this action individually.
`
`b.
`
`The Defendants
`
`28. Defendant Raytheon Company is a Delaware Corporation with its
`
`headquarters and principal place of business in Waltham, Massachusetts.
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`6
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`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 7 of 39
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`29. Defendant Raytheon Technologies Corporation is a Delaware Corporation
`
`with its headquarters and principal place of business in Waltham, Massachusetts.
`
`30. Defendant Lockheed Martin Corporation is a Maryland corporation with
`
`its principal place of business in Bethesda, Maryland. Defendant Lockheed Martin
`
`Corporation has significant contacts with, and conducts substantial business in, the
`
`Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
`
` For example, Defendant Lockheed Martin
`
`Corporation owns and operates several
`
`facilities
`
`in
`
`the Commonwealth of
`
`Massachusetts.
`
`31.
`
`The United States Defendants, including the United States Missile Defense
`
`Agency, the United States Department of Defense, and the United States Navy have
`
`significant contacts with, and conduct substantial business and operations in, the
`
`Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
`
`32.
`
`The Defendants identified herein as DOES 1 through 20, are the joint-
`
`venturers, agents, servants, employees, predecessor or subsequent companies or
`
`corporations, divisions, agencies, subsidiaries, and co-conspirators of the other
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`Defendants. They have been named using these fictious names because their true
`
`identities are currently unknown. When their true identities become known, Plaintiffs
`
`will amend this complaint to substitute the true names for the fictitious names.
`
`IV.
`
`FACTS COMMON TO ALL CAUSES OF ACTION
`
`a. Overview: The TWA 800 Disaster
`
`33.
`
`The Defendants tested missiles off the coast of the Eastern United States in
`
`1996, which was a departure from prior practices.
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`7
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`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 8 of 39
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`34.
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`There are several flight paths in the vicinity of the area where the missile
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`testing occurred, including flights taking off from, and landing at, major airports in
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`New York and New Jersey, such as New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport,
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`New York’s LaGuardia Airport, and New Jersey’s Newark International Airport.
`
`35. On July 17, 1996, TWA 800 took off from John F. Kennedy International
`
`Airport in New York at around 8:20 p.m.
`
`36. On that evening, numerous eyewitnesses described seeing a streak of light
`
`arcing from the surface of the ocean toward TWA 800 and then seeing an explosion and
`
`an object break apart and fall into the ocean.
`
`37.
`
`Twelve minutes after the plane took off, it broke apart and caught fire
`
`13,800 feet over the Atlantic Ocean, precisely where the surface-originating streak
`
`observed by the eyewitnesses exploded.
`
`38. All two hundred and thirty passengers aboard TWA 800 died.
`
`b. The Government Investigation and Cover-Up
`
`39.
`
`In the wake of the TWA 800 tragedy, the federal government purported to
`
`investigate its cause.
`
`40. However, instead of allowing the National Transportation Safety Board
`
`(“NTSB”), the agency tasked with investigating all domestic aviation incidents, to lead
`
`the investigation of the TWA 800 incident, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”)
`
`took charge. The FBI also enlisted the assistance of the Central Intelligence Agency
`
`(“CIA”).
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`8
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`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 9 of 39
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`41.
`
`Indeed, the FBI essentially froze the NTSB out of the investigation. The
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`FBI removed all copies (original and duplicates) of Navy radar tapes from the Navy,
`
`placing them out of the NTSB’s reach, and refused to allow the NTSB to conduct
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`eyewitness interviews or review the FBI’s records that indicated the true cause of the
`
`TWA 800 crash.
`
`42.
`
`Eyewitnesses who were interviewed by the FBI recall being threatened by
`
`the organization. For example, one eyewitness recalls being told to keep quiet about the
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`“rocket” she saw in the sky or risk her citizenship application being denied.
`
`43. Despite this, eyewitnesses have consistently maintained that they saw
`
`something arcing toward TWA 800 before the plane erupted into flames and fell from
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`the sky.
`
`44.
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`For example, one eyewitness testified that she saw a “rocket go up” and
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`explode, and then saw TWA 800's flaming wreckage fall from the sky.
`
`45.
`
`Two other eyewitnesses, Air National Guard pilots, Captain Christian
`
`Baur and Major Frederick “Fritz” Meyer, similarly stated that they witnessed events
`
`that indicated a missile struck TWA 800.
`
`46. On the day TWA 800 went down, Captain Baur and Major Meyer were
`
`flying in a Black Hawk helicopter near the area of the TWA 800 incident. Captain Baur
`
`recalled seeing an object with a “rocket type motor . . . moving quick” toward TWA 800.
`
`After the crash, Captain Baur flew to the area and conducted a search and rescue.
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`9
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`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 10 of 39
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`47.
`
`Captain Baur’s co-pilot, Major Meyer, testified that he recognized a “flak”
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`explosion at the site of the TWA 800 explosion, which is what military anti-air
`
`explosives create.
`
`48. Despite
`
`this evidence,
`
`the CIA concocted materials
`
`to discredit
`
`eyewitnesses who could confirm that TWA 800 had been downed by some kind of
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`projectile. These materials included a video and animation that was displayed during a
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`nationally-televised FBI press conference that attempted to reconcile the eyewitness
`
`testimony that the plane was struck by a projectile with the U.S. Government’s official
`
`position that the crash was caused by a defect in the plane’s center fuel tank.
`
`49. Although overwhelming eyewitness testimony indicated that TWA 800
`
`was struck by a missile, the video and animation, which was subtitled “What Did The
`
`Eyewitnesses See?,” contained a scene with large, capitalized, and underlined words,
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`“NOT A MISSILE.” To ensure that audiences did not miss the point, a narrator read
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`those words aloud.
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`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 11 of 39
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`
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`50. Despite outwardly proclaiming that the cause of the TWA 800 explosion
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`was,
`
`in
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`the CIA’s words, “NOT A MISSILE,” several
`
`internal government
`
`communications (that have only come to light in the recent FOIA litigation) indicated
`
`that a missile was involved.
`
`51.
`
`Following the FBI’s press conference stating that TWA 800 was not
`
`brought down by a missile, the NTSB released a report stating that the likely cause of
`
`the crash was an explosion of flammable vapors in the plane’s center fuel tank. This
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`became the publicly accepted view of what happened, and Plaintiffs relied upon this
`
`misinformation.
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`11
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`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 12 of 39
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`52.
`
`The NTSB’s report did not include and/or ignored crucial evidence that
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`ran counter to its conclusion, and NTSB team leaders were ordered not to draft analysis
`
`reports, which ran contrary to the usual procedure for NTSB aviation crash reports.
`
`53.
`
`The NTSB also formed a new NTSB Office of Families, headed by a public
`
`relations expert, that successfully deceived the victims’ families about the true cause of
`
`the crash. Through a series of misleading official communications, the Office of Families
`
`promoted a fuel tank scenario as the only possible explanation for the crash, and told
`
`the victims’ families that the idea that TWA 800 was brought down by a missile was an
`
`implausible “conspiracy theory” without any basis in fact. In reality however, the
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`opposite is the case.
`
`54.
`
`This same misinformation was provided to the press, which widely
`
`reported it to the public.
`
`55.
`
`In short, for over 25 years, Plaintiffs and the public were led to believe—
`
`by their own government and the Defendants—that the victims of the TWA 800 crash
`
`were killed by a one-of-a-kind exploding fuel tank. Recently, however, overwhelming
`
`evidence uncovered by physicist Dr. Thomas Stalcup shows that TWA 800 was struck
`
`by an errant missile fired by the Defendants.
`
`c. Defendants’ Rush to Test the Aegis Missile System with Live Warheads
`
`56.
`
`The missile program that resulted in the crash of TWA 800 became a high
`
`priority for the U.S. Government in 1996, when former Secretary of Defense William
`
`Perry sought a significant increase in funding for the Navy’s Aegis Missile system from
`
`the U.S. Senate’s Armed Services Committee.
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`12
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`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 13 of 39
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`57. Defendant Department of Defense proposed that this missile system
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`proceed “as quickly as possible to production and deployment” in order to increase
`
`defense capabilities against missiles from hostile countries.
`
`58.
`
`Indeed, in a news briefing from the Missile Defense Agency and the
`
`Department of Defense, Secretary Perry characterized the missile threat from rogue
`
`nations as “here and now.”
`
`59.
`
`The Senate Committee approved the funding, and the Navy accelerated
`
`testing and development of the next-generation Aegis Missile System.
`
`60.
`
`The key to upgrading the Aegis System for missile defense lay in its radar
`
`system. To upgrade its capabilities as a missile defense system, the radar system needed
`
`significant improvements. For example, the radar system needed to be able to track
`
`more enemy missiles at once and do so at further distances.
`
`61.
`
`The Aegis System’s radar also needed improvement in its ability to
`
`operate close to shore and to properly integrate into existing systems. As it stood, Aegis
`
`was confused by land and could not adequately “interoperate” with the other services’
`
`anti-missile systems. These serious flaws could result in a missile striking an
`
`unintended target.
`
`62.
`
` To address these key deficiencies, the Department of Defense directed the
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`Contractor Defendants to integrate a new radar and computer system into all new ship
`
`designs, known as the SPY-ID(V).
`
`63.
`
`The new computer system, known as Hiper-D, was developed by the
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`Defense Advanced Projects Agency (DARPA) to run the SPY-1D(V) radar.
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`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 14 of 39
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`64. When testing of the SPY-ID(V) began, there were no ships in the Naval
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`fleet with the hardware or computing power to accommodate and operate the new
`
`radar system.
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`65. Although the SPY-ID(V) would later become a key component aboard the
`
`next wave of Navy destroyer ships, in 1996 the only option with the hardware and
`
`computing power sufficient to operate the SPY-ID(V) was a New Jersey land-based
`
`testing site called the Combat Systems Engineering and Development Site (“CSEDS”).
`
`66.
`
`Instead of waiting five years for ships to be properly constructed with the
`
`SPY-ID(V) so that testing could be conducted far from congested air corridors and at
`
`established test ranges, the SPY-ID(V) was tested on an expedited basis in and around
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`the CSEDS in New Jersey, in a highly congested area.
`
`67.
`
`The integration of the SPY-ID(V) into the Aegis Missile System was a
`
`major technological leap forward, and it should have been conducted deliberately and
`
`carefully. The system included new hardware, software, computer systems, and
`
`wireless networking to share data and coordinate with other services’ missile defense
`
`systems.
`
`68. Despite this, the Defendants fast-tracked implementation of the system,
`
`and put it on an accelerated and unrealistic timetable.
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`69. Despite the obvious risk posed by testing missiles in close proximity to
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`people and commercial aircraft, Defendants certified the CSEDS for “operational
`
`testing” to ensure the upgraded Aegis System went online as soon as possible.
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`14
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`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 15 of 39
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`70.
`
`In 1996, the Defendants began testing the SPY-ID(V) using “simulated and
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`actual targets” in and around New Jersey.
`
`71.
`
`Recently unearthed evidence confirmed that in May 1996, Defendants
`
`conducted initial operational tests of the SPY-ID(V) radar upgrade with testing that
`
`involved firing at least one missile with a live warhead.
`
`72.
`
`That same month, a former member of the United States Coast Guard
`
`stated that he saw a missile rising over Long Island Sound as he drove to work. Two
`
`months later, and five days before TWA 800 went down, he saw another missile on his
`
`morning commute.
`
`73. An electrician on the roof of a nearby Long Island hospital was filming the
`
`sunrise and captured the second missile witnessed by the Coastguardsman on his VHS
`
`camera.
`
`74.
`
`Five days later, as Navy missile targets flew nearby, dozens of witnesses
`
`saw a missile rise off the ocean apparently heading toward something well behind
`
`TWA 800, but only to take a sharp turn toward the jetliner seconds before exploding
`
`into it.
`
`75. Despite this tragic incident, the Defendants continued to test the radar and
`
`missile system in this same, highly populated area.
`
`76.
`
`In August that year, just six weeks after TWA 800 went down off Long
`
`Island, a rocket with classified Department of Defense sensors flew near and “startled”
`
`an American Airlines pilot near CSEDS’ sister land-based site on Virginia’s eastern
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`seaboard.
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`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 16 of 39
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`77. A month later and in the same area, two missiles were launched from
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`Navy ships at aerial target drones flying nearby.
`
`78. Another two months later, on November 16, 1996, almost precisely where
`
`TWA 800 went down off Long Island, a Pakistani Airlines pilot reported to Air Traffic
`
`Control that a “rocket” rose in front of him and continued rising above his altitude.
`
`People on shore that evening were interviewed by the FBI and confirmed that a
`
`projectile rose between airliners off Long Island at the time.
`
`79.
`
`Six hours earlier that November day, a witness described seeing a missile-
`
`like object rise quickly over South New Jersey or Staten Island, NY.
`
`80. At 1:00 a.m. the next day, a witness reported to the FBI seeing a missile-
`
`like object from central Long Island.
`
`81. On March 17, 1997, many commercial airline pilots reported seeing a
`
`missile or missiles flying in the vicinity of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
`
`82. On that same day (March 17, 1997), an Air Force cargo pilot reported to
`
`Air Traffic Control, and later to the FBI, that he had been seconds away from taking
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`“evasive maneuvers” to avoid being hit by a missile fired over Burlington, Vermont.
`
`After the missile arced away from his aircraft at the last minute, he flew by its “non-
`
`vapor” exhaust plume.
`
`83.
`
`Steve Habeger, the Executive Director of CSEDS’s sister site in Virginia
`
`during this time, recently testified in Dr. Stalcup’s FOIA in the United States District
`
`Court for the District of Massachusetts, Thomas Stalcup v. Department of Defense, Civil
`
`Action No. 1:13-cv-11967-DLC (the “FOIA Litigation”), that he was personally aware of
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`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 17 of 39
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`at least a dozen Aegis missile tests off the East Coast of the United States around this
`
`same overall time period.
`
`d. Unearthed Evidence Discredits the Government’s Exploding Fuel Tank Narrative
`
`
`84. As part of the FOIA Litigation, Dr. Stalcup recently obtained crucial new
`
`evidence regarding what caused TWA 800 to explode on July 17, 1996.
`
`85.
`
`For example, Dr. Stalcup obtained several FBI records never released to
`
`the TWA 800 families or the public. One described an “original [Navy radar] tape”
`
`showing an object “heading straight for TWA 800.” Another describes an object on
`
`radar “impact[ing]” TWA 800 and “spiral[ling] away,” while also stating that witnesses
`
`described seeing a “flair (sic) going up. . . . , orbit/circle another object. Subsequently
`
`debris fell from the sky.”
`
`86.
`
`These records were never made part of the NTSB investigation, and no
`
`eyewitnesses were permitted to testify at any NTSB hearing. As such, the Plaintiffs were
`
`never informed of this information.
`
`87.
`
`In addition, on around October 2, 2019, Dr. Stalcup privately consulted
`
`with a former high-level FBI official who informed him that aerial target drones were
`
`flying in TWA 800’s vicinity when TWA 800 went down—the very drones documented
`
`to have been used in East Coast missile tests of the Navy’s Aegis System that summer of
`
`1996. Those target drones ultimately parachuted to the ocean below, unscathed and
`
`abandoned.
`
`88.
`
`The FBI later ordered the Navy to retrieve these targets, which is contrary
`
`to the usual chain of command.
`

`
`17
`
`

`

`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 18 of 39
`
`89.
`
`In addition to the documentary evidence uncovered in the FOIA
`
`Litigation, Dr. Stalcup also deposed several government witnesses regarding the TWA
`
`800 disaster.
`
`90. One of these witnesses, Steven Habeger, the Executive Director of an East
`
`Coast Navy land-based test site, testified that within minutes of the TWA 800 disaster,
`
`he was ordered to allow the FBI to remove all Navy radar tapes from his facility that
`
`might have recorded the TWA 800 incident.
`
`91.
`
`This event was corroborated by Mr. Habeger’s commanding officer and
`
`by FBI custody records obtained during the FOIA Litigation.
`
`92. Dr. Stalcup also discovered that five days after the TWA 800 disaster, the
`
`Joint Terrorism Task Force directed the FBI to obtain another “original [Navy] radar
`
`tape” showing an object “heading straight for TWA 800” and to “prepare FD-302 re-
`
`procurement of this original tape.”
`
`93.
`
`These radar tapes were confiscated by the FBI immediately after the crash
`
`of TWA 800. According to records obtained in the FOIA Litigation, they show an object
`
`“impact” TWA 800, which directly contradicts the FBI’s, CIAs, and NTSB’s public
`
`conclusions that what caused the incident was “NOT A MISSILE.”
`
`94.
`
`In fact, the evidence reveals that TWA 800 was brought down by a missile
`
`and the government hid this truth from Plaintiffs and the public at large for over
`
`twenty-five years.
`
`V.
`
`TOLLING OF THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS
`

`
`18
`
`

`

`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 19 of 39
`
`95. Under normal circumstances, the statute of limitations would have run on
`
`events that occurred in 1996.
`
`96. However, the discovery rule and fraudulent concealment doctrine toll the
`
`statute of limitations in this case.
`
`97.
`
`Specifically, key evidence confirming that a missile caused the crash of
`
`TWA 800 was hidden from the public and the victims’ families for over 25 years. This
`
`evidence was only recently unearthed by Dr. Tom Stalcup in his hard-fought FOIA
`
`litigation, which has now been pending for over ten years.
`
`98.
`
`Plaintiffs only discovered the evidence Dr. Stalcup diligently compiled on
`
`April 15, 2021, when they attended a meeting hosted by Dr. Stalcup. At that meeting,
`
`Dr. Stalcup informed the Plaintiffs about the key facts he learned in his FOIA lawsuit
`
`indicating that the TWA 800 crash was caused by a missile.
`
`99.
`
`Before April 15, 2021, the Plaintiffs were not aware of, or on notice of, the
`
`information that forms the basis of this complaint, nor have the Plaintiffs had any
`
`reasonable opportunity discover their injury, its cause, and the link between the two
`
`(prior to April 15, 2021).
`
`100.
`
` In addition, the statute of limitations was tolled because the Defendants,
`
`led by the United States government, took active steps to mislead the families and the
`
`public, as well as conceal that the TWA 800 crash was caused by a missile, including
`
`confiscating and concealing evidence from the United States Navy.
`

`
`19
`
`

`

`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 20 of 39
`
`101. Therefore, the discovery rule, the fraudulent concealment doctrine, the
`
`doctrine of equitable estoppel, and the doctrine of laches, toll the statute of limitations
`
`in this case.
`
`VI.
`
`SATISFACTION OF FTCA JURISDICTIONAL REQUIREMENTS
`
`102. Presentation of an administrative claim to the appropriate agency is a
`
`jurisdictional prerequisite to Federal Tort Claims Act (“FTCA”) claim. See, e.g., McNeil v.
`
`United States, 508 U.S. 106 (1993).
`
`103. Here, Plaintiffs sent administrative claims to the United States Navy, the
`
`United States Missile Defense Agency, and the United States Department of Defense in
`
`October 2021.
`
`104. While the United States Missile Defense Agency and the United States
`
`Department of Defense did not respond to the claims, Defendant United States Navy
`
`denied Plaintiffs’ claims in writing, and they noted that Plaintiffs only had six months
`
`to file lawsuits under the FTCA.
`
`105. Plaintiffs hereby bring these claims within six months of the mailing of
`
`those rejection letters from the United States Navy.
`
`VII. CAUSES OF ACTION
`
`COUNT I
`Negligence and Gross Negligence
`(Against All Defendants)
`
`105. Plaintiffs hereby incorporate by reference all of the allegations set forth
`
`above, as so though fully set forth herein.
`

`
`20
`
`

`

`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 21 of 39
`
`106. Plaintiffs assert claims individually and on behalf of the Estates of the
`
`decedents against the Defendants for negligence and gross negligence.
`
`107. As a result of the negligent, grossly negligent, reckless, or intentional
`
`conduct of the Defendants, Plaintiffs’ decedents died after a missile downed TWA 800.
`
`108. Specifically, the Defendants negligently, recklessly, or intentionally
`
`authorized and conducted the testing of missiles in commercial airspace. As a result of
`
`these tests, a missile downed TWA 800 and killed Plaintiffs’ decedents.
`
`109. Defendants owed decedents and Plaintiffs a duty not to negligently test
`
`missiles in commercial airspace.
`
`110. Defendants breached that duty by negligently testing missiles in
`
`commercial airspace.
`
`111. The systems and products discussed herein were still being tested in 1996
`
`when the TWA crash occurred, are not state-of-the art 25 years later, and therefore do
`
`not involve matters of national security in 2022 or thereafter.
`
`112. Defendants RAYTHEON COMPANY, RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES
`
`CORPORATION, and DOES 1 through 20, inclusive, were negligent, grossly negligent,
`
`and breached their duties to Plaintiffs and decedents in the following ways:
`
`a. Defendants Raytheon Company, Raytheon Technologies Corporation, and
`
`DOES 1 through 20, inclusive, worked closely with all of the other
`
`Defendants in conducting the missile testing that caused the crash of TWA
`
`800;
`

`
`21
`
`

`

`Case 1:22-cv-11032-AK Document 6 Filed 09/19/22 Page 22 of 39
`
`b. The SM-2 Missile (Standard Missile 2) was negligently and grossly
`
`negligently supplied by, tested by, approved for use by, and overseen by,
`
`Defendants Raytheon Company, Raytheon Technologies Corporation, and
`
`DOES 1 through 20 at the time of the subject incident;
`
`c. The CEC (Cooperative Engagement Capability) system, Aegis system,
`
`Navy Area Defense, Linebacker, and/or similar missile defense
`
`technologies, which were being integrated with the SPY-1 Radar System,
`
`were negligently and grossly negligently supplied by, tested by, approved
`
`for use by, and overseen by, Defendants Raytheon Company, Raytheon
`
`Technologies Corporation, and DOES 1 through 20 at the time of the
`
`subject incident;
`
`d. MK illuminators (which direct beams of radiation that “paints” targets so
`
`missiles can lock onto them) were negligently and grossly negligently
`
`supplied by, tested by, approved for use by, and overseen by, Defendants
`
`Raytheon Company, Raytheon Technologies, and DOES 1 through 20 at
`
`the time of the subject incident;
`
`e. The IFF (Identify Friend or Fo

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