Judge: Flight Attendants Did Not Have To Examine Passenger's Privates

MYFOX NATIONAL - A Canadian judge has rejected an airline passenger’s lawsuit filed after flight attendants refused to examine his body between his legs, according to the Toronto Sun .

The Sun reported that a Westmount man accused Air Transat of failing to give him medical attention during a Feb. 15, 2008, flight from Montreal to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Marcel Cote had felt a discomfort while on the flight and went to the washroom where he discovered spots of blood.

He asked a flight attendant to help but, because the attendant was female, he asked for the help of a male attendant. The male attendant was asked to closely examine him to determine what was wrong but the employee said no, giving him absorbent paper instead.

When he asked to see a doctor, the flight crew said they would contact one if he was sick enough. Three hours later he arrived in Puerto Vallarta and a travel agent he knew took him to the hospital in a taxi. A doctor found he had a ruptured vein near his scrotum and he had three stitches to close the wound.

The Sun reported that judge Michele Pauzé agreed with an Air Transat representative that flight attendants did not have a right to examine passengers much less to make a diagnosis.

Cote had sought $8,000 in damages for mental anguish. Instead the judge ordered Cote to pay $189 in court costs from the small claims court filing.

Among lawsuits filed against airlines in 2009, AirlineReporter.com reports that:

• A student sued U.S. Airways for $1 million for a lost Xbox gaming system;
• A man sued Jetblue for $2 million for allegedly making him sit in the bathroom for part of his flight;
• A married couple sued United Airlines for serving too much wine to the husband, which allegedly led him to abuse his wife;
• A man sued British Airways for allegedly asking him to leave the plane because of his body odor.