Yes, it probably is wasting money on lawyers, unless going through small claims court, but what misdemeanor? People can mention "misdemeanor" all they want in an effort to smear paint, but that paint has not been applied legally when the police haven't filed charges with prosecutors pursuing them and getting a conviction.

There's a contract for passage between A and B, even if one party was in breach. If AA doesn't want to fulfill on that contract or reimburse the counterparty, they may end up paying more to defend themselves by asserting breach by counterparty than it costs to reimburse the counterparty.