Delta hires David Boies’ law firm to pursue damages from CrowdStrike

Delta Air Lines has hired famed attorney David Boies to seek potential damages following days of canceled flights related to a CrowdStrike bug that disabled Microsoft programs, taking down the airline’s internal systems and causing chaos for travelers. 

Boies’ firm, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, is evaluating claims against CrowdStrike and Microsoft, CBS News has confirmed. CNBC was first to report that Delta had retained legal counsel to pursue possible damages from CrowdStrike and Microsoft following a faulty software update that scuttled airline schedules. 

Boies previously represented the U.S. government in an antitrust case against Microsoft, as well as disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.  

The unprecedented tech crash, which earlier this month shut down banks, hospitals, government agencies and other organizations around the world, cost large U.S. companies more than $5 billion, according to Parametrix, provider of internet cloud monitoring and insurance services. 

Delta faces an investigation by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection in connection with the flight disruptions following the CrowdStrike crash. The carrier has said it is cooperating with the probe. 

— CBS News’ Kathryn Krupnik contributed to this report