An Orthodox Jewish passenger has said a United Airlines pilot forcibly removed him from an aeroplane bathroom while he was experiencing constipation, exposing his genitalia to other fliers during a flight from Tulum, Mexico, to Houston.
Advertisement
Yisroel Liebb, of New Jersey, described his trip through allegedly unfriendly skies in a federal lawsuit this week against the airline and the US Department of Homeland Security, whose officers he said boarded the plane upon landing and took him away in handcuffs.
Liebb and a fellow Orthodox Jewish traveller said the pilot made disparaging remarks about their faith. They said they were forced to miss a connecting flight to New York City while US Customs and Border Protection officers paraded them through an airport terminal, placed them in holding cells and searched their luggage.
“CBP Officers responded to reports of a disturbance on a flight at the request of the airline,” CBP Assistant Commissioner for Public Affairs Hilton Beckham said. “Due to the ongoing litigation, we are unable to provide any further comment.”
United Airlines declined to comment. Messages seeking comment were left for a lawyer representing Liebb and the other traveller, Jacob Sebbag.
Advertisement
In the lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in Manhattan federal court, Liebb said he was in the bathroom in the back of the plane for about 20 minutes on January 28 when a flight attendant woke Sebbag from a nap and asked Sebbag to check on him.
Liebb said he explained his gastrointestinal predicament and assured Sebbag that he would be out soon. Sebbag then relayed that to the flight attendant, the lawsuit said.