A court would be more likely to order that the settlement payment be returned if it was for silence rather than compensation.

Only if the bag is permanently lost will they work out a settlement payment.

How the settlement payments will be shared by the various claimants has not yet been determined.

Revenues from 17 other companies are also providing part of the settlement payments.

He said in the last 23 years, he has given out settlement payments to some 6,000 heirs and participants.

If a company makes a settlement payment, shareholders are essentially paying for it themselves.

Over time, he said, the lawsuits will die down and the market will accept settlement payments as a cost of doing business.

They can easily raise prices and write off the settlement payments as tax deductions.

These so-called settlement payments by American phone companies to foreign carriers cover the cost of an overseas company using its network to complete a call.

The settlement payment is to be $200 million.