[Costello:] It is difficult to imagine just how difficult the past two weeks have been for families with loved ones on board Flight 370. Today one family had enough, broke into a press briefing room before being forcibly removed.
[Unidentified Male:] Please step back. Go back. Step back.
[Costello:] Before being removed from that press briefing the family held up a sign claiming Malaysia Airlines was hiding the truth. Still everyone has to wait for answers. They have no other choice, sadly. One woman whose American partner was on board that flight told CNN's Anderson Cooper that rumors of a hijacking actually give her hope.
[Sarah Bajc, Partner Was On Flight 370:] Partly it makes me feel like I'm not crazy because that's the scenario that I hypothesized way back, the first day after it happened. So by Sunday already I was starting to think, you know, there's clearly no sign of crash. It was a night time activity. So satellite should have been able to pick up any kind of flame. And so the only logical answer for a completely silent jet would be that it had been taken. And over the week, of course, all my friends were starting to think that perhaps I was just in denial and I was even starting to doubt myself a little bit and so when all of this new evidence started to come out it gave me confidence that I wasn't so crazy after all.
[Costello:] But the quality of the information coming out of those press briefings in Malaysia, well at least people confused and that sometimes can leave them with false hopes. Daniel Rose is an aviation attorney he joins us now to talk about this. Good morning.
[Daniel Rose, Aviation Attorney:] Good morning Carol.
[Costello:] So our reporters on the scene said there are already attorneys surrounding these families in Kuala Lumpur. My gut reaction is oh ambulance chasers. But is that right?
[Rose:] Well I think your initial reaction is right, I think it's despicable. I mean if there are U.S. attorneys over there given the circumstances that we don't even know what's happened yet or where the plane is or what's happened to these loved ones, you just saw the video its heart wrenching. it's just disgusting and the very likely potentially against the ethical rules of some of the states that these lawyers practice in or even federal rules.
[Costello:] Yes from my understanding they have to wait something like 45 days until they can actually talk with some of these families. And they are waiting. You know, on the other hand, these families feel so helpless. No one seems to be standing up for them so some of them may want an attorney.
[Rose:] Well, that's fine. If they want an attorney they can certainly go out and reach out for one and I'm not saying that's a bad idea at all at this point. In fact, there are some, you know, interesting and complicated legal issues in a case where you probably have to bring a claim within two years but on the other hand there are some states that are going to say you have to wait two years if you don't have a definitive ruling on whether there was a death or not involved to bring a lawsuit or to have a verification of death or certification of death. So that can pose some very complicated legal problems that you probably do need to get a lawyer involved with before, certainly well before the two year involvement. But to be at the scene, you know, within two weeks, is just inexcusable.
[Costello:] Going back to what you said previously about the filing of lawsuits and you have to wait two years. You are talking as if you know let's say the plane is never found. That would pose that problem for the families because they would want Malaysian authorities to go on looking no matter what. Malaysian authorities might think differently. And in that case, what do you do?
[Rose:] Right well you know the legal process a lot of times has to parallel the investigative process. So you need to find some information about what happened in order to know whether this is a claim based on mechanical issues or the airlines conduct. And they trigger very different laws and different time limits and different evidence in proof but clearly, you know, the families are interested, understandably, in knowing what happened, where their loved ones are. And the reality is they are going to be put up against some practical constraints, including who is going to pay for an ongoing search into you know, that could go into months, if not years. So and that's not even getting to the ultimate concern, which is giving these families closure. I mean I can't imagine you know nothing worse than going through an aviation accident disaster like this. The only thing possibly worse is not knowing ultimately what happened.
[Costello:] Daniel Rose, thanks for your insight. I appreciate it.
[Rose:] My pleasure.
[Costello:] We're back in a minute.