A man in Alabama sued Delta Airlines on Friday, claiming he was attacked by a fellow traveler’s emotional support dog in 2017.
In court filings reported by NBC News, Marlin Jackson argued he suffered “extensive facial damage” when a dog owned by Ronald Mundy, who was sitting next to him, became agitated and bit Jackson repeatedly in the face, causing him to bleed profusely.
{mosads}According to NBC, Jackson argued in the court filings that Delta was liable for the attack because the airline’s staff ignored their company’s policy on service animals, which requires large dogs to be secured on the floor of the plane rather than allow customers to carry them in their laps.
“Defendant Delta allowed the large animal to remain in Defendant Mundy’s lap while Delta employees passed through the area in open disregard of said policy,” reads the lawsuit, according to NBC.
His attorneys told NBC News Jackson continues to suffer physically and mentally from the attack.
“Marlin Jackson continues to suffer from the vicious dog attack,” J. Ross Massey and Graham Roberts told NBC News. “The attack on Mr. Jackson would not have happened had Delta enforced their own pre-existing policies concerning animals in the cabin.”
A Delta spokesperson declined to comment to the news network on the attack, but told NBC that it had updated its policies regarding emotional support animals, which were completely banned from longer Delta flights in December. The company now requires certification that an animal is trained for emotional support to be allowed in the cabin.
“The airline also banned pit bulls and animals under four months of age as service or support animals. These policy updates reinforce Delta’s core value of putting safety first, always,” a spokesperson reportedly said.