American Airlines Flight Attendant Punched Passenger, Causing Brain Injury, Lawsuit Alleges

An American Airlines passenger claimed in a recent lawsuit that a flight attendant punched him so hard that it resulted in him suffering a traumatic brain injury.

Gregory Lagana, from New Jersey, filed a suit against the airline at the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey Friday, in which it was alleged that when he was on board an American Airlines flight 1798 from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Philadelphia on Jan. 5, 2018, one of the cabin crew members repeatedly punched him in the face and on back of the head, after pinning down his right arm, causing him to sustain "scalp hematomas, abrasions, swelling, redness, bruising and defensive wounds to his hand.”

In the lawsuit, a copy of which was obtained by USA Today, Lagana claimed the altercation occurred following an argument about his drink order, around the time the accused flight attendant was pushing the refreshment cart, in-flight. The situation escalated and "the guy [flight attendant] literally beat the crap out of him [Lagana]," Edward P. Capozzi of Brach Eichler, L.L.C., who is representing the plaintiff in the lawsuit, said.

"As a result of the accident, the plaintiff suffered severe, serious and permanent personal injuries, as well as mental and emotional injuries rendering him permanently and severely injured," the lawsuit said, stressing on the fact that there was no reason for the flight attendant to behave the way he did as Lagana “was not involved in any wrongdoing that jeopardized the safety of the aircraft."

The lawsuit added that Lagana was sitting with his seatbelt fastened when he was punched by the flight attendant. Following the alleged incident, Lagana received neurological, neurosurgical and chiropractic treatments at Princeton Medical Center in New Jersey.

Due to injuries “caused by an unexpected or unusual event,” the lawsuit claimed that Lagana was liable to receive no less than approximately $161,000 from American Airlines, which was issued a summons Monday.

“We are reviewing the lawsuit and the details of the flight," American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller told USA TODAY.

There have been instances in the past where flight attendants have been at the receiving end of violence on flights. For example, back in November 2018, an American Airlines flight attendant filed a lawsuit against the company, seeking up to $1 million in damages for failing to investigate a physical brawl that happened on its aircraft in June 2016.

The plaintiff, Kathy Ida Wolfe, accused fellow flight attendant Laura Powers of dragging her down an airplane aisle by her uniform scarf during a flight in full view of passengers. According to the lawsuit, Wolfe claimed that the accused “dug her fingernails into my arm, and slammed the door of a beverage cart on my arm.”

“I also reported the assault and battery to legal authorities after American Airlines failed to investigate and/or take action to ensure my safety," she added in the lawsuit.