A retiree grieving the death of her son was allegedly slugged in the chest by a drunken Delta Air Lines passenger just for asking for a reclined seat to be raised, according to a federal lawsuit.
Minnie Holmes, 72, was flying home to Minneapolis from San Juan, Puerto Rico, when she complained that a female passenger had reclined her seat so far back that she could not access her tray table, according to a filing obtained by The Post.
The other passenger and her partner had become “boisterous” and were “swearing and causing a scene” after being served copious amounts of alcohol, according to the lawsuit filed against Delta Air Lines on Tuesday.
Holmes’ daughter then “politely” asked the woman to move up her seat, but she angrily refused, the filing stated.
After the loud retort, a Delta employee was alerted to the group and told the female passenger she was allowed to keep her seat reclined — and eventually came back to serve the already allegedly intoxicated couple even more alcohol, the lawsuit claimed.
The couple then grew more drunk, even jeering at Holmes, all while continuing to be served alcohol, according to the filing, which did not identify the pair.
While Holmes’ daughter went to help her mother grab something from her bag, the angry man allegedly reached behind the seat and forcefully punched Holmes in the chest, according to the lawsuit.
The shocking blow caused Holmes “substantial pain,” the document said.
Despite knowing about the attack, a Delta Air Lines flight attendant allegedly just told the group, “You guys need to figure this out.”
The couple was eventually moved to other seats further away from Holmes and were then escorted off the plane and to law enforcement at the end of the flight, the lawsuit said. It was not clear if they were charged.
Holmes, who had recently lost her son Stephen, had gone on the trip to Puerto Rico for relief during the difficult time, according to the filing.
Now, the retiree is “unable to look at the photos from the trip because it causes her great distress to think about being assaulted by the intoxicated passenger,” the lawsuit said.
Holmes is now seeking a monetary award from Delta for the medical expenses, emotional distress, and pain she allegedly suffered following the assault, the lawsuit said.
“While we don’t have any specific comment on this pending litigation, Delta has zero tolerance for customers who engage in inappropriate or unlawful behavior toward other customers or Delta people and will work with law enforcement to that end,” a Delta spokesperson told the Independent.
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