That was a pretty contentious episode that played out on a United Airlines flight. This has led to a federal lawsuit against both the airline and the US Department of Homeland Security. Passengers Liebb and Sebbag brought suit against the airline. They allege that airline employees and federal law enforcement personnel acted unlawfully and improperly during a recent flight, subjecting them and all those on board to a horrifying experience.
The ordeal started when Liebb took about a 20 minute lavatory break in the rear of the aircraft. Fearing it was taking too long, one deeply worried flight attendant eventually roused Sebbag from his nap and asked him to go see what’s up with Liebb. When asked what took him so long, Liebb described his gastrointestinal situation, assuring Sebbag that he would be out soon.
The story took a more dangerous turn once the pilot became involved. According to the lawsuit, "The pilot became visibly enraged, broke the lock on the door and forced the door to the bathroom open, pulling Liebb out of the bathroom with his pants still around his ankles, exposing his genitalia to Sebbag, several flight attendants, and the nearby passengers on the plane."
After this encounter, Liebb said she felt “sexually assaulted and humiliated. When he fell on the black ice, his wrist pain immediately escalated. He experienced pain that lasted for days due to the fact that he was still handcuffed. As a result of the disruption, both Liebb and Sebbag missed their connecting flight to New York City.
The nightmare escalated dramatically when US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers entered the scene. Hilton Beckham, the CBP assistant commissioner for public affairs, stated, “CBP Officers responded to reports of a disturbance on a flight at the request of the airline.” Instead of taking them behind the scenes, officers paraded Liebb and Sebbag in handcuffs through the airport terminal. Then they put them into holding cells and rifled through their luggage. As one officer on the scene allegedly told them, “This isn’t county or state. We are homeland. You have no rights here."
The damage from this lead incident was a setback for Liebb and Sebbag. To this end, United Airlines rebooked them onto a flight to New York City the following day, at no cost. Though not in their control, they incurred costs related to an overnight hotel stay and new food provisions during this time.
According to the lawsuit, "With Sebbag leading Liebb, the pilot proceeded to repeatedly push the [two] back to their seats while making threats of getting [them] arrested and making scathing remarks about their Judaism, and how ‘Jews act’."