A flyer said a United Airlines pilot forced him to remove him from the plane’s bathroom. Now he’s suing
NEW YORK (AP) – An Orthodox Jewish passenger said an United Airlines pilot forced him from the airplane’s bathroom while experiencing constipation, and his genitals were exposed to other leaflets on planes from Tulum, Mexico to Houston.
Yisroel Liebb of New Jersey described his trip to the allegedly unfriendly sky in a federal lawsuit against airlines and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security this week, saying his officials said his officers boarded the plane and took him away.
Liebb and an Orthodox Jewish traveler said they were forced to miss the connecting flight to New York City, while U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials paraded them through the airport terminal, put them in prison cells and searched their luggage.
United Airlines declined to comment. News seeking comments was left to lawyers for the Department of Homeland Security and Liebb and other traveler Jacob Sebbag.
Liebb said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in a federal court in Manhattan that he spent 20 minutes in the bathroom at the rear of the plane on Jan. 28 when a flight attendant woke up from a nap and asked Sebbag to check him out.
Liebb said he explained his stomach trouble and assured Sebbag that he would be out soon. Sebag transferred it to the flight attendant, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit said that about 10 minutes later, as Liebb was still inappropriate, the pilot approached Sebag and asked him to check Liebb. The pilot then shouted to Liebb and left the bathroom immediately, the lawsuit said.
Liebb said he told the pilot that he was over and would go out temporarily.
The pilot’s response was to break the lock, force the bathroom door to open and use his pants to pull out Liebb around his ankles, exposing his genitals to Sebbag, the flight attendant and nearby passengers.
Liebb and Sebbag said the pilots then pushed them back to their seats while threatening to arrest them and comment on their beliefs and “the behavior of the Jews.”
The two-hour flight landed in Houston, and the men said about six customs and border protection officers boarded the crew and escorted them out of the plane.
Liebb said when he asked why they were detained, an official tightened his handcuffs and replied: “This is not a county or state. We are home. You have no rights here.”
The men said United booked them for free on their flights to New York City the next day, but any savings from the complementary tickets were lost as they had to pay for overnight hotel accommodation and food during the delays.
