Originally Posted by Colin

he misconnected due to no fault of AA (based upon evidence presented/asserted) and he sat in a coach seat on his final segment because he preferred that to:
1. a later flight in J
2. a flight to a nearby airport like MKE/IND with J avail
3. literally dozens of connecting options in J between 2 major AA hubs

assuming a deep discount J-cabin fare, his refund should be jack in cash but the invaluable lesson of personal responsibility