Family claims American Airlines intentionally bumped 4-year-old from flight ahead of Disney trip: Lawsuit
The Louisiana residents are requesting more than $50,000 in damages as a result of the airline’s alleged “intentional infliction of emotional distress, fear, anxiety and stress”
NEED TO KNOW
- A Louisiana family alleges American Airlines "targeted" them due to the mother's disability, leading to a distressing travel experience ahead of their "once-in-a-lifetime" trip to Disney World
- The family claims they were told their flight was oversold and their 4-year-old son would be removed only after the ticket agent was made aware of the mother's disability
- The lawsuit seeks over $50,000 in damages, citing emotional distress and violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act
A Louisiana family is suing American Airlines after they say they were allegedly “targeted” over a family member's disability.
Coby and Emily Stewart claim they paid $5,187.58 for airline tickets from Lake Charles, La., to Orlando, Fla. They arrived at Lake Charles Regional Airport with their four children almost two hours early on March 1, 2025, and went straight to the American Airlines ticket counter for early check-in, according to a complaint obtained by PEOPLE.
At the counter, the ticketing agent was made aware that Coby was a former member of the U.S. military, while Emily was deaf and uses American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate, according to the filing.
The complaint claims that the agent then informed the parents that the flight was “oversold” almost “immediately” after hearing of Coby's military status and Emily's disability, despite other passengers allegedly still not having checked in.
The complaint alleges the agent first informed the family that one person in their party would be “ejected” from the flight, then told them their 4-year-old son Archer was going to be removed.
The parents explained they could not be separated due to Emily's disability and her need for Coby's assistance in caring for their four children during the flight, per the complaint. Despite this, the ticketing agent allegedly “refused to accommodate” the family and Emily's “special assistance needs.”
As a result, Coby voluntarily removed himself from the flight, and attempted to make a different flight at Jack Brooks Regional Airport in Texas, per the complaint. He was given a $1,200 voucher to use for the flight by the ticketing agent, who allegedly “assured” him that he would be able to reunite with his family during their connection at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
Coby raced to the other airport in another state to catch his new flight, per the complaint. However, while he was in transit, he allegedly “received a telephone call from the same American Airlines ticketing agent, advising that the Lake Charles flight was not ‘oversold' after all, and that she was rescinding his $1,200 voucher.”
The filing alleges that the series of events caused the family in “travel expenses, loss of a compensation voucher, loss of value of preferred seating, loss in value of a lesser desirable ticket.” They are also asking for damages for the “intentional infliction of emotional distress, fear, anxiety, and stress,” per the complaint.
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The family also claims that American Airlines breached the Americans with Disabilities Act as the ticketing agent “clearly targeted the Stewart family" because of Emily's "special assistance needs and disability and because she was traveling with four minor children.”
They claim the ticketing agent informed them that they were the only passengers to be removed from the “full flight” only after learning about Emily's disability.
PEOPLE reached out to American Airlines, Skywest Airlines and the Stewarts' attorney, Christopher Ieyoub, for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.
The family was eventually reunited after the ordeal, Ieyoub told The Independent. Coby was not able to meet up with his family for their flight in Dallas, but that he finally arrived "frazzled" at Disney World later that night after the others, the attorney claimed.
