The families of more than 100 victims of the Swissair crash off Nova Scotia have rejected an out of court settlement.

Swissair had offered to compensate each family provided they not seek punitive damages. Instead, the lawsuit against Swissair will continue.

Lawyers for the relatives have filed a federal court brief in Philadelphia. They say the proposed settlement would have sharply limited financial awards and prevented families from learning exactly what happened.

The Swissair plane went down a year ago, en route from New York to Geneva.

All 229 people on board were killed.