A California woman experienced a serious health setback following an incident with JetBlue.
Oksana Kiritchenko, a 51-year-old resident of California, has filed a federal lawsuit against JetBlue, alleging severe mistreatment.
She alleged that the airline’s treatment led to the return of her cancer.
The lawsuit centers around an incident that occurred in September 2023, when Kiritchenko and her husband Peter faced issues with their emotional support dog, Pier, while traveling with the airline.
A California woman alleges mistreatment by JetBlue.
According to the lawsuit, Kiritchenko and her husband, both of whom were traveling first class, were subjected to “cruel humiliation and ridicule” by JetBlue staff.
The couple, who had paid $4,295.60 for two round-trip first-class tickets, had submitted all required forms to travel with their service animal.
The filing stated: ‘Plaintiffs were boarded on the plane with Mr. Kiritchenko seated in the 1st class seat and Mrs. Kiritchenko seated in… economy class with their dog in its travel bag.’
However, on their return flight from Florida to Los Angeles, they were informed by an airline agent that Pier could not travel with them in first class.
The lawsuit details that, despite informing the airline of Peter’s severe disability and Kiritchenko’s health condition”.
According to the couple, Peter has a ‘severe disability affecting his ability to stand’ but the airline employee was unmoved.
Then, the airline employee insisted that one of them would have to relinquish their first-class seat to accommodate the dog.
Kiritchenko was eventually moved to economy class, while Peter remained in first class.
The couple’s stress escalated while Peter was on the flight
The situation escalated when a flight attendant handed Kiritchenko a travel bag that was deemed too small for Pier.
Consequently, the plane had to return to the gate, and the couple was removed from the flight. They were forced to purchase new tickets with Delta Airlines and book a hotel for the night.
The lawsuit alleges that JetBlue inflicted ‘unnecessary monetary damages’ on the couple and accuses the airline of negligence and violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Kiritchenko asserts that the stress from this incident led to a significant health setback. After returning home, she checked into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where tests revealed an increase in her tumor molecule levels from 0.00 to 0.59.
The suit adds: ‘The test results had shown the mean tumor molecules levels (‘MTM/ml’) had risen to 0.59. Several prior tests were showing test results at 0.00.’
After the incident, the couple filed a legal lawsuit against JetBlue
The lawsuit accuses JetBlue of negligence and violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. They claimed that the airline caused unnecessary financial and emotional damage.
The Kiritchenkos are seeking reimbursement for medical expenses, attorney fees, and additional damages to be determined by a jury.
JetBlue’s Response
As of now, JetBlue has not issued a statement regarding the lawsuit. The airline has 21 days to respond to the claims.