Who are Kurt Arnold and Jason Itkin? Houston law firm founders linked to Maine plane crash tragedy that killed 6

Kurt Arnold and Jason Itkin, co-founders of elite Texas law-firm Arnold & Itkin LLP, are in the limelight since Kurt Arnold's wife died in a deadly plane crash. Tara Arnold, the 46-year-old attorney wife met a fatal accident when a private jet flipped over and burst into flames at a Maine airport, killing 6 on Sunday. Let's find out all about the owners of the Houston law firm allegedly linked with the mishap.

Arnold & Itkin Law is a trial law firm based in Texas' Houston, which is nationally recognized. Specializing in catastrophic injury, maritime, energy and workplace litigation, the firm is in the spotlight as it the crashed plane was allegedly registered in its name.

This incident comes 3 days after Arnold and Itkin were named to the 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America, in the Plaintiff Litigation category. Both lawyers reached great results with several multi-million dollar cases and share an impressive profile. For clients injured in major accidents, the trial lawyers with notable track records secured record-setting verdicts and settlements.

The pair met as undergraduates in college. Following years long bond through law school, the duo co-founded their firm, Arnold & Itkin LLP in 2004 with a shared mission to “fight for catastrophically injured individuals against powerful corporate defendants.”

Among the high-stakes litigation cases in which Jason Itkin was the attorney, he secured $8 billion judgment against Johnson & Johnson which was one of the notable billion-dollar jury verdict. Another one was Roundup cancer verdict the included $2.25 billion judgment.

Meanwhile, Kurt Arnold's landmark judgements included $117 million single-plaintiff personal injury verdict in Louisiana and a $44 million single-amputation verdict in the United States.

Itkin was able to effectively defend the families who lost fathers and spouses when the El Faro cargo ship sank in a hurricane. The biography also mentioned that Itkin took up most of the cases of the wounded workers after the Deepwater Horizon explosion.

Jason received an invitation to join the Inner Circle of Advocates as the youngest member in 2013. He was recognized as one of Houston's finest business leaders under 40 and has been included on numerous Super Lawyer lists.

Kurt Arnold shares a similarly impressive resume. Arnold, too, reached great results with several multi-million dollar cases, including a $117 million single-plaintiff personal injury verdict in Louisiana and a $44 million single-amputation verdict in the United States.

He has worked with Itkin in the Deepwater Horizon explosion. His and Itkin's clientele received exceptional settlements as a result of his unceasing efforts, guaranteeing their long-term well-being.

Kurt has been honored by The Best Lawyers in America for his exceptional work in both personal injury litigation and maritime and admiralty law. Kurt has also been listed by Lawdragon as one of America's Top 500 Lawyers and one of its Top 500 Consumer Plaintiff Attorneys.

Arnold and Itkin met in college

Arnold and Itkin met as undergraduates and remained close through law school. The duo later co-founded their trial practice with a shared mission to “fight for catastrophically injured individuals against powerful corporate defendants.”

Since its establishment in 2004, their firm, Arnold & Itkin LLP, has accumulated over $20 billion in verdicts and settlements for clients across the nation, making it one of the most prosperous plaintiff litigation firms in the nation.

Read more: Plane crash in Bangor, Maine: Small passenger aircraft overturns at airport

Why is their name coming up now?

At Bangor International Airport in Maine, a private business plane crashed during a snowfall on takeoff around 7:45 p.m. on January 25.

The Bombardier Challenger 600 that crashed was reportedly carrying eight people. Emergency personnel arrived on the scene almost instantly after the plane overturned and caught fire. According to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, seven people were killed, and a crew member survived with serious injuries.

It is being speculated that the owner of the Bombardier Challenger 600 that the jet is registered to KTKJ Challenger LLC, which is registered under Jason Itkin and Kurt Arnold. However, none of the information is confirmed by credible sources, and it is not clear if Jason Itkin and Kurt Arnold were on board.