$78.75M Delta Settlement Ends Litigation Over Alleged California Jet Fuel Dump in January 2020

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Delta Air Lines has agreed to a $78.75 million settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit that alleged the pilot of Delta Flight DL89, while enroute from LAX to Shanghai, jettisoned approximately 15,000 gallons of jet fuel in response to an emergency mechanical problem over a densely populated area of California on January 14, 2020.

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The Delta Air Lines settlement agreement received preliminary approval from the court on November 13, 2025, and covers anyone who owned, resided in, or rented one of the properties listed as affected residences in a list prepared by John A. Kilpatrick, a named plaintiff and “Class real estate expert,” per the case.

The court-approved website for the Delta class action settlement is DL89Settlement.com.

According to the settlement website, Delta Air Lines settlement class members who submit a timely, valid claim form are eligible to receive a one-time cash payment, which will be calculated based on the total number of valid claims.  

Per settlement documents, class members with a valid claim form must provide documentation proving they were either the owner or resident of a 1-4 unit residential property on January 14, 2020. The settlement fund will be divided between property owners and residents, the agreement outlines, with approximately 67 percent distributed to property owners and 33 percent to residents.

Consumers who are unsure if they are included in the Delta settlement may use this tool provided on the settlement site to view a map of covered areas and look up their address to determine eligibility. Those who have any difficulty determining their eligibility, or who have other questions about the settlement, may also contact the settlement administrator to receive more information.

Settlement class members can elect to receive their settlement payout via electronic payment, a prepaid credit card, or a check, which must be cashed within 90 days of issuance before expiration, the agreement says.

To submit a claim form online, class members can head to this page of the settlement website and select the applicable claim type for their filing. Notably, only those submitting owner claims need the unique claim ID and PIN found in the settlement notice, and those submitting residential settlement claims may proceed without a login ID.

Class members who prefer to submit a claim by mail can download the claim form as a PDF here, complete it, and return it to the address of the settlement administrator provided on the first page of the document.

All Delta settlement claim forms must be submitted online or postmarked by February 6, 2026.

The court will decide whether to grant final approval to the Delta settlement at a hearing on May 18, 2026. Compensation will begin to be distributed after the settlement receives final approval and all appeals are resolved.

The Delta Air Lines class action lawsuit alleged that on January 14, 2020, Delta Flight DL89 expelled approximately 15,000 gallons of jet fuel onto a residential area after a compressor stalled in one engine shortly after takeoff. The complaint argued that  “(t)he decision to dump the fuel at a low altitude over a highly populated area is highly unusual, and uncalled for.”  

A study commissioned by Delta in March 2025 revealed that the soil in the residential areas sustained “far less than the maximum amount” of jet fuel exposure deemed environmentally safe and that any contaminants dispatched by DL89 in January 2020 would not have been detectable in the soil within an hour after release. .

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