by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:45 AM ET, Wed August 14, 2019
A Miami woman has filed a lawsuit against American Airlines after she was allegedly mistreated by a flight attendant who locked her emotional support dog in the bathroom of a plane for an hour.
According to ABCNews.com, American passenger Avigail Diveroli claims she contacted the airline twice about taking her dog onboard previous to flying with her family in business class and received approval.
After boarding the April flight from Miami to Los Angeles without incident, Diveroli said one of the flight attendants noticed the dog and became angry. In addition to forcing the dog to stay locked in the bathroom for the final hour of the journey, the woman also claims her seat was downgraded during the flight.
"This is a terrible case where AA completely ignored the mental anguish of a passenger, ignored their own carrier agreement with passengers, and violated every standard of decency," the lawsuit claims. "Regina [the flight attendant] yelled at Plaintiff and her husband the whole trip, even stating so much that the dog is not allowed to be wrapped with an AA blanket."
When the American flight landed in Los Angeles, police boarded the plane and escorted Diveroli and her family off. Authorities ultimately decided no crime had been committed and the woman was never charged.
Diveroli is seeking damages in excess of $75,000 and a jury trial.
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