THE FAMILY of a man who suffered a heart attack on an international flight and later died may be able to recover damages for willful misconduct against Delta Air Lines Inc., an appellate court ruled last week.

The 3-1 ruling from the Appellate Division, Second Department, overturned a lower court decision that dismissed the suit. The appellate court found that a trial was necessary to determine whether the airline crew had acted unreasonably in attempting to help the ailing man.