Jury Rejects Pet Owner’s Claim of Abuse on Airliner
A Superior Court jury ruled in favor of American Airlines on Wednesday in a lawsuit by a socialite who claimed she and her Maltese dog had been roughed up during a flight from New York to Los Angeles.
Marcelle Becker, widow of former CNA Insurance Co. Chairman Martin Becker, said crew members kicked her and her 13-year-old pet, Dom Perignon, after the dog--which had been riding with her--began to wander about the cabin.
Neither side disputed that at one point during the flight in 1995, the pilot used the dog’s leash to tie the Beverly Hills woman’s hands behind her.
But the airline said that she had consumed a cocktail, red wine and half a Xanax before becoming belligerent when told to keep her dog in its Louis Vuitton pet carrier under her seat.
At one point, the airline’s lawyers said, she “threatened to kill everyone on board.”
The jury decided, 9 to 3, that the crew was justified and used reasonable force in restraining Becker.
The woman still faces federal charges of assaulting and interfering with a flight crew.
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