Government drops airport applesauce assault case

A judge has dismissed the final complaint against the woman who engaged in a tussle last year with a federal transportation security agent over carry-on applesauce and other snacks for her 93-year-old mother at Bob Hope Airport.

An administrative judge for the Department of Homeland Security accepted the Transportation Security Administration’s motion on Dec. 3 to withdraw its complaint alleging that passenger Nadine Hays violated security regulations, effectively ending the government’s action against her.

“The TSA held several productive discussions with Ms. Hays over the past couple of weeks and, as a result, requested the dismissal of the case against her,” the agency said a statement.

Hays filed a counter-complaint in October with the Department of Homeland Security seeking compensation for emotional and financial distress as a result of the legal action, which had drawn the ire of media pundits and talk show hosts.

In an e-mail to friends and journalists, Hays was excited for the dismissal, but still looking ahead to the next hurdle in battling alleged injustices by Transportation Security Administration.

“Now I am off to prove the video was altered,” she said. “Keep me in your prayers.”

Hays has argued that the security video footage of the incident at Bob Hope Airport was altered after she was allegedly told that only one camera angle was recorded.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge dismissed criminal charges against Hays in October after she reported six months of good behavior following accusations of assault on airport security agents.