Bride sues airline for more than $300,000 over 'intentionally stained' wedding dress
An airline is facing a lawsuit after a woman alleged a flight attendant destroyed her wedding dress on board the trip to the destination of their ceremony.
According to the Courier-Post, Yewande Oteh flew on an American Airlines service to Jamaica in August 2015 and alleges a flight attendant “egregiously” damaged her gown.
Her mother, Yvette Sterling, filed a lawsuit on behalf of her daughter and said on Tuesday, “American Airlines and its personnel robbed all of us of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
The suit states that issues began for the bride at the Philadelphia International Airport when Ms Oteh was allegedly asked to remove the gown from her checked luggage by a ticket agent, the Courier-Post reports.
She was then allegedly told she would have to hang it on the plane in a closet.
At the time Ms Oteh was travelling with her then-would-be-husband and their nine-month-old son.
A flight attendant, Melanie Masters, reportedly told the bride to put the dress in an overhead locker after telling her that she was not allowed to hang it in the employee cupboard.
Ms Masters allegedly became “indignant and agitated”.
However, the flight attendant disputes the series of events. "It really didn't go like that at all," Ms Masters reportedly said.
According to the suit, Ms Oteh put her gown in an otherwise empty overhead bin in first class. However when the flight touched down at its destination it is alleged it had red wine stains.
According to the Courier-Post Ms Oteh and her husband claim they saw a number of flight attendants, including Ms Masters, near the locker during the trip.
“It was her belief that the flight attendants were placing something in the bin and making fun of (Oteh) and her wedding gown,” the suit claims.
It alleges, Ms Masters' “willful and wanton conduct… has caused a lifetime of damage.”
American Airlines has given a statement to US media outlets saying, "We are reviewing the lawsuit."
According to the Courier-Post the suit seeks damages of $95,000 ($75,000 US) for each Ms Oteh and four other family members, including a child who was nine-months old at the time of the alleged incident.
Ms Oteh reportedly cancelled related events due to the emotional problems caused by the incident.
It is also reported that the bride could not find a suitable replacement for the wedding and instead her sister flew to Fort Lauderdale to buy an alternative gown.
