Woman suing airline over toy  (see link)

CLEARWATER -- Renee Koutsouradis was sitting on a plane in Dallas last February, awaiting takeoff. She and her husband were returning to Pinellas County after a Las Vegas vacation.

Suddenly, she heard her name over the loudspeaker. A Delta Airlines security agent met her at the front of the plane and told her to walk with him to the tarmac.

He said something was vibrating in one of her bags.

She says she told the agent what it was: an adult toy that she and her husband had just bought on their trip to Las Vegas.

In a lawsuit, she says the agent took her to the bag on the tarmac and forced her to open it "and remove the adult toy and hold it up for visible view."

One side of the plane's passengers witnessed the scene, the lawsuit says, as three male Delta employees nearby "began laughing hysterically" and offered "obnoxious and sexually harassing comments."

After being forced to hold the item up for a minute, the suit says, Koutsouradis was allowed to re-pack and return to her seat for the flight to Tampa.

Koutsouradis, 36, declined to comment, saying, "I just don't want to be embarrassed any more than I've already been."

Brad Tobin, her St. Petersburg attorney, said, "She was pretty horrified by the treatment. She never contended that Delta doesn't have the right to investigate a security issue. It was their total lack of professionalism."

The security agent should have escorted Koutsouradis to a private area, Tobin said.

A spokeswoman for Atlanta-based Delta declined to comment on the lawsuit.

But speaking generally, spokeswoman Katie Connell said, "We have an obligation . . . to protect the safety and security of passengers. If there's anything questionable about a bag, we have a responsibility to investigate."

Tobin declined to say where his client lived in Pinellas or what she did for a living.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, seeks unspecified damages of more than $15,000, accusing Delta of negligence, the intentional infliction of emotional distress and gender discrimination.

Michael Boyd, an airline planning and security consultant from Colorado, said embarrassing incidents have become more common with increased security by all airlines since Sept. 11.

"I think there might be a sensitivity issue here that may need to be addressed by Delta" if the lawsuit is accurate, he said. "But customers now have to be aware that their bags are always subject to search in front of other people."

He said his guideline would be to leave anything embarrassing at home, just in case.

Delta Airlines is saying to leave your adult toys at home???  Heck, I never leave home without my deluxe supreme inflatable doll with pulsating lips (upper and lower!!) but I always take the batteries out.  That is what the plaintiff should have done in this matter to avoid the embarrassment at the airport.  $15,000 sure can buy a lot of vibrators and batteries.

-- Modified on 7/26/2002 12:03:50 PM

I was going on my very first two girl (double team) out of state job about three years ago.  I was nervous about our performance because we were entertainig a really wealthy VIP. I packed all my toys that I owned to make sure I could give him the performance of a lifetime. I also had a naked picture of myself in my bag next to the toys.  They made me open my bag because my hair straightener had a long metal piece in it that was weapon-like.  Since I had a lot of things in my bag, I had to pull my toys out one by one while the security guard and a few others watched. My female partner was laughing so hard she had tears coming down her cheeks.  Of course the naked picture was there too.  I am glad this lawsuit is happening.  They should be more sensitive to private items in people's bags so we don't get embarassed.  Even lay people have vibrating toys in their bags and we should be able to keep that private.  My security guards kept a very professional look on their faces and they ignored my laughing.  But I would have appreciated the option of taking it over into a private corner so the crowd of people did not see.

A few years ago I had to defend a Florida case for a client sued for $1 mill based upon a claim of intentional emotional distress.
Any lawyer can look up all of the cases in the So.2d Reporter or Florida reports. There are a few dozen.
This silly vibrator case does not even come close to a valid legal claim in Florida, or anywhere else in the US.

An airline that dove out of the sky and nearly crashed off the Bahamas was sued once in Florida for emotional distress. The airline won. The terrified passengers lost. Leading case.

Sure the lady was embarrassed, but she gets a Doofus Award for not removing the battery and being moronic in this era of heightened security.

We passengers, however, get stuck absorbing the cost of defending her stupid lawsuit. Delta's lawyer will probably pick up $10-25,000 defending the case. Delta could probably countersue since the legal claims are so ludicrously weak, but that is such a waste of time and resources, suing the dumb.

Based on the facts as stated, I betcha a Real Doll - body #3 with a #2 or #10 type 3-speed head & special effects tongue - that the case is thrown out on summary judgment, if not sooner. LOL

-- Modified on 7/26/2002 5:13:22 PM

No offense to the linkmeister but his link didn't work for me

I was reading today about the current lawsuit against MacDonalds, Burger King and KFC for failing to disclose that their fast food, when eated to excess, will make you fat. Some people are sueing saying that the ad campaigns do nothing to suggest that obesity, diabetes etc can ensue from eating their product. Other than damages (of course) they want fast food to come with a warning a la the tobacco adverts.

Anyway, back to your regular programme

but the stupid are doing an excellent job.

I don't fly Delta so I won't be paying. Too bad FL's not 'loser pays' state.

Typical American of the late 20th/early 21st century - do something moronic and sue someone.

-- Modified on 7/27/2002 7:06:32 AM

I'm surprised you didn't have to pay a surcharge for excess weight!

Hugz

LM

Thanks, and here's another link just in case

There are also stories about three-year olds and the elderly being singled out for the more detailed searches. Also I think there were three of these searches recently with ex-Vice-President Gore. I guess anyone who could poll ~500,000 more votes than George W. might well be consider to be an "Enemy of the State."

Sounds like a good argument to put more money into AMTRAK, not less.