Man Uses Airplane Passenger as Human Urinal on Flight to Miami

An airline passenger in the business class section of an Emirates flight to Miami last November was sitting next to her husband, trying to get some sleep, when she awoke to a warm, moist surprise.

An "obviously very drunk" man who had been causing a scene and yelling at airline staff mid-flight was relieving himself all over her — and he didn't appear to have scruples about it, according to a lawsuit the woman recently filed against the airline.

"The drunken man was in the aisle, leaning on the bulkhead for support and urinating onto [her], finishing by shaking his penis," the woman says in the pleading.

The woman cried as the flight staff assisted her in changing out her clothes in the middle of the 15-hour flight from Dubai to Miami International Airport, according to the lawsuit. The floor around her seat was sopping wet, so the flight staff moved her around while she "remained shocked, shaking, and sobbing," she says in the pleading.

Somehow, she "ended up in the same row as the drunken man" again after the fiasco, she says. To no avail, her husband demanded that the airline alert Miami-Dade County airport police.

The woman's attorney, Jim Montalvo of Coral Gables, alleges that Emirates should have known calamity was afoot, as the man was hammered when he boarded the plane and didn't belong in the business class section where the plaintiff was sitting.

"Approximately one hour into the flight, many of the other passengers were reclined and ready for sleep. Suddenly there was a disturbance — a passenger came stumbling from the back of the plane, obviously very drunk and attempted to take a seat, second from the aisle, same row as the plaintiff in business class," the lawsuit says.

A flight attendant told the man, who nearly fell on top of a passenger, to return to his seat at the back of the plane, but he "protested loudly using very rude language." The attendant capitulated and let him take the seat near the plaintiff about an hour before the urination.

When reached by New Times, Emirates declined to comment on the allegations, citing the pending litigation.

"Emirates’ Customer Affairs and Service Audit team takes all feedback seriously and has been diligently handling this case. The team has since been in touch with the customer, however as this case is now pending litigation, we will not be offering any additional comment," the airline said in a statement.

According to the complaint, the woman is being treated by a psychiatrist, who diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder from the embarrassment and shame she experienced that day.

"Plaintiff’s injuries are the direct result of the actions of the employees of the defendant in allowing the drunken man to board the aircraft in Dubai and allowing the drunken man to change seats thereby placing him close to the plaintiff. The degree of inebriation was such that a consequential problematic result was inevitable," the lawsuit claims.