Spanish Supreme Court raises compensation to 14 families affected by Germanwings suicide crash

The Supreme Court of Spain has increased the compensation for fourteen relatives of seven victims of the Germanwings crash. The initial amounts set by the Audiencia of Barcelona were reduced on appeal by Germanwings, but the Supreme Court deemed those reductions more suitable for a traffic accident rather than an aviation disaster.

The court determined that a 50% increase should be applied to the compensations based on the Law on Civil Liability and Motor Vehicle Insurance. The Supreme Court concluded that the reduced compensations failed to adequately address the grief resulting from the deliberate actions of a crew member. The court also upheld Audiencia’s decision that the 50,000 euros previously provided by Germanwings were an advance payment on future compensations.

These fourteen relatives had rejected the compensation agreements reached by Germanwings for the majority of the crash victims.