Passenger sues Southwest over texting incident
— -- A California woman is suing Southwest Airlines for more than $2 million in Davidson County (Tenn.) Circuit Court after she says she was thrown off a flight, arrested and falsely imprisoned in Nashville last summer.
Norma Steiner, 47, of Saugus, Calif., was on her way home from a two-week trip visiting a friend in St. Augustine, Fla., when things got out of control at Nashville International Airport on June 29.
She had just boarded her flight when she says a male flight attendant approached her.
"I was texting my friend in Florida so he could let my kids know I was on the plane heading home," she said. "I didn't even have a chance to sit down in my seat before he was there, rudely telling me to turn off my phone and buckle up."
She says she complied
Steiner said she immediately turned off her phone. But the attendant returned six times before the plane left the gate, accusing Steiner of not turning her phone off and ignoring her when she tried to show him otherwise, Steiner said.
"Honestly, I think he was determined to throw me off the plane the minute he saw me," she said.
The attendant returned twice as the plane was heading to the runway, threatening to have her thrown off the plane. Exasperated, she said, she told him to do what he wanted and that's when the plane turned around and went back to the gate. Steiner was removed, arrested on a disorderly conduct charge and taken to the Metro jail. She spent three and a half hours in jail until posting a $2,300 bond, using cash and a credit card to pay. She didn't leave Nashville until early the next morning.
Less than a month later, Steiner was in court to face the charge.
During the 15-minute hearing, her attorney Tim Hatton said the charge was dismissed and Steiner's bail money was returned. She later used it to retain him for the civil suit, filed Tuesday.
In the months that followed, Hatton contacted Southwest Airlines, he said.
"They didn't seem to care when I informed them that we might file a suit," he said.
