I recall a few years ago, when I was living in North Carolina, a judge there ruled that pets were property not family members from a legal standpoint. Any damage or destruction of that property by another party only entitled the owner to reimbursement of replacement value. While I think of my dog as a member of the family, I can understand the method of reimbursement for a pet.

Now, that's not to say the owner in this case can't go after Delta in civil court for emotional damages or something.