Pilot "Dragged Passenger out of Bathroom for Taking Too Long"

Pilot "Dragged Passenger out of Bathroom for Taking Too Long"

United Airlines has been accused of a significant violation of passenger privacy.

A young Orthodox Jewish man, Yisroel Liebb, 20, was traveling on a United flight from Tulum, Mexico to Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport. Suffering from constipation, Liebb spent 30 minutes in the aircraft lavatory—until the pilot allegedly broke down the door.

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Liebb says in a recently filed lawsuit that the pilot then pulled him out with his pants around his ankles, exposing his nakedness to passengers and crew. Meanwhile, the pilot launched an antisemitic tirade about "how Jews act."

Liebb and an acquaintance, Jacob Sebbag, were flying to Houston on United Airlines flight 1601. Both men were wearing traditional Orthodox Jewish garb.

During the flight, Liebb left his seat to use the restroom. After 20 minutes, a flight attendant woke up Sebbag and insisted he check on Liebb, who still hadn't returned to his seat. Sebbag spoke to Liebb through the bathroom door. Liebb said he was fine but experiencing constipation, according to the complaint filed in the Southern District of New York.

After another 10 minutes, Sebbag was approached by the flight's pilot, who asked him to check on Liebb again. According to the complaint, the pilot began shouting at Liebb through the lavatory door. He then turned to Sebbag and "began loudly demanding he force Liebb out of the bathroom."

Liebb spoke through the door, notifying the pilot that he was okay, that he was finishing up, and that he would be out momentarily. The lawsuit claims that the pilot became visibly enraged, broke the lock on the door and forced it open, pulling Liebb out of the bathroom with his pants still around his ankles. Liebb quickly pulled his pants back to his waist after being allowed to get back on his feet.

The pilot then allegedly proceeded to repeatedly push Liebb and Sebbag back to their seats while "making threats of getting the Plaintiffs arrested." The pilot allegedly made "scathing remarks about their Judaism and how 'Jews act.'"

When the flight laned at 5:53PM CST, Liebb and Sebbag were in fact arrested by "five to seven agents" from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Customs and Border Protection, (CBP) who pulled Liebb from his seat, bent his arms behind his back and cuffed him. Sebbag and Liebb were marched off the plane and confined in separate cells, handcuffed to tables. The lawsuit claims that their "persons and luggage were subjected to intrusive, unconsented, unwarranted and unreasonable searches."

Among the charges raised in the civil lawsuit are "unlawful detention and search" resulting in "bodily injuries and emotional distress." Liebb and Sebbag said they suffered severe wrist pain from the handcuffs for several days following, while Liebb said his head and legs were also injured.

The men also missed their connecting flight to New York and had to stay over in Houston. United Airlines gave them complimentary flights for the following day, although they had to pay for their hotel rooms and food.

Source: Forbes

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