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A woman who alleges that she was forced to leave the plane on which she was to fly to Washington from Palm Beach (southeast Florida) because she removed her mask several times due to health problems is claiming $10 million in compensation from the airline responsible for the flight.
The lawsuit was filed by Mediora Clay Reading, 68, against Southwest Airlines, before a New York court.
The local CBS station in the Palm Beach area reports that the lawsuit alleges that the flight crew kicked Clay Reading off the plane because she constantly removed her mask to drink water, due to a health problem.
The passenger said, according to the lawsuit, that she needed to drink water frequently because of a history of heart problems, severe hypoglycemia, claustrophobia and fainting spells, all of which were triggered by wearing a facemask.
According to the lawsuit, after a lengthy conversation with a flight attendant about her mask problems, Clay Reading was forced to leave the plane.
The plaintiff was left confused, shaking, crying, unable to breathe through her nose and hyperventilating, the lawsuit says.
Protocols to prevent Covid-19 contagions during flights have triggered an increase in incidents and violent events on aircraft.
In 2021, the Civil Aviation Administration (FAA) received a total of 5,981 reports from airlines about problems with passengers, of which 1,081, or 183 more than in 2020, merited an investigation resulting in 350 prosecutions.
