# Woman sues Delta, claims she was humiliated by public inspection of sex toy **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 27, 2002, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038 "2002-07-27T00:55:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/1 "2002-07-27T00:55:47Z")
> [@](#): > > A woman who says she was pulled off an airplane and asked to take a sex toy out of her luggage after it started vibrating is suing Delta Air Lines, saying she was publicly humiliated. > > Renee Koutsouradis, 36, said she was with her husband awaiting takeoff from Dallas in February when her name was called over the loudeaker. [http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/breaking/7\_26\_02toy\_suit.html](http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/breaking/7_26_02toy_suit.html) Maybe Delta and the other passengers should sue HER for delaying their flight. Why shouldn’t the employees have laughed? This was funny. Also, if Renee Koutsouradis thinks she was publicly humiliated by the incident, imagine the how much more publicity she’ll get from the lawsuit! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Slainte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Slainte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slainte)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/2 "2002-07-27T01:06:49Z")
> [@](#): > > and three male Delta employees “began laughing hysterically” and made “obnoxious and sexually harassing comments.” She’s up there with the fast-food-suing-guy, IMO. What did she expect? People to not say sexual things about a_sex toy_? It is humorous. She shouldn’t have left the batteries in, security was right in checking it out. ---
**Author:** ![Sinshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Sinshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinshine)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/3 "2002-07-27T01:09:00Z")
Right, I’ll have to remember to remove the batteries when travelling with my, um, little companion… ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/4 "2002-07-27T01:19:30Z")
> [@](#): > > obnoxious and sexually harassing comments." I’d have to see what they are calling “sexually harassing comments” before i dismiss her with a brush of my hand and a “pah!” ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/5 "2002-07-27T01:26:07Z")
Heh . . . reminds me of _Fight Club_: Narrator: Was it ticking? Airport Security Officer: Actually throwers don’t worry about ticking 'cause modern bombs don’t tick. Narrator: Sorry, throwers? Airport Security Officer: Baggage handlers. But, when a suitcase vibrates, then the throwers gotta call the police. Narrator: My suitcase was vibrating? Airport Security Officer: Nine times out of ten it’s an electric razor, but every once in a while… [whispering] it’s a dildo. Of course it’s company policy never to, imply ownership in the event of a dildo… always use the indefinite article “a dildo”, never “your dildo”. ---
**Author:** ![Dravin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Dravin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dravin)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/6 "2002-07-27T01:34:14Z")
> [@](#): > > The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, accusing Delta of negligence, intentional infliction of distress and gender discrimination. Where is the gender discrimination? Was there a guy with a buzzing suitcase that they let by without him opening it or something? ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/7 "2002-07-27T01:44:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Slainte \* > \*\* > > She’s up there with the fast-food-suing-guy, IMO. > > What did she expect? People to not say sexual things about a_sex toy_? It is humorous. She shouldn’t have left the batteries in, security was right in checking it out. \*\* Umm…yes, I think she had ever right to expect they wouldn’t say anything about it. Yes, she should have taken the batteries out. Yes, they should have investigated. Including, if that’s the procedure, making her take it out and hold it up. No, they had no business laughing at her (at least not to her face : )) and certainly no business making comments. What the hell is so funny about a person having a vibrator? Is Delta employing junior high students? ---
**Author:** ![Ripple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@Ripple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ripple)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/8 "2002-07-27T01:45:21Z")
Didn’t that happen on the Drew Carey show once? ---
**Author:** ![Q.N.Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3da27b/32.png) [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/9 "2002-07-27T01:45:40Z")
Uhh…hello… This is why I quit packing my sex toys when I go on trips after September 11th. Shouldn’t we kind of expect now that it’s likely our sex toys will be discovered in our luggage? ---
**Author:** ![Nenya\_Elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@Nenya\_Elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nenya_Elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/10 "2002-07-27T01:48:19Z")
I can see how this would be embarassing, and the guys probably should not have made sexual remarks about it, just because that would be the kind thing to do, but I can’t see making a lawsuit out of it. She has that kind of money to blow on lawyer bills?? ---
**Author:** ![RexDart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@RexDart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RexDart)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/11 "2002-07-27T01:50:09Z")
**Dravin** , it’s probably a “disparate impact” theory. If a policy like this is more likely to affect women than men, the policy has a disparate impact on women. This is in the tradition of race discrimination cases like _U.S. v. City of Black Jack, Missouri_, using what’s called the burden-shifting test. Disparate impact allows a presumption of discrimination when actual discriminatory intent cannot be proven. That shifts the burden to the defendant, who must then demonstrate a legitimate non-discriminatory reason for the policy. It will surely do so by showing a security interest. Plaintiff is then allowed to defeat the defendant’s non-discriminatory reason by showing a better alternative to the policy that accomplishes the objective without disparately impacting one gender. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/12 "2002-07-27T01:58:21Z")
I had a similar, but not the same, thing happen recently in May. The comments from the staff were beyond crude - they were the sort of thing that would get their faces slapped if they didn’t happen to be rent-a-cops who, if I even look at them the wrong way, can have me thrown in prison as a “security risk”. :rolleyes: It’s very degrading, and you feel helpless and devastated, when you stand there, unable to run away, while two large men openly make fun of things in your luggage and hold them up for all to see. And then you feel your hair stand on end and your face burn as passengers - complete fucking strangers - join in, laughing at you and openly mocking you. And they all get away with it, scot-free. All I’m saying is - I understand the woman’s frustration entirely. And I would _almost_, I repeat, _almost_ consider suing too. It really is a very tough thing for me to resolve in my mind. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/13 "2002-07-27T01:58:36Z")
The lawyer will do just fine with the free publicity. I guess it’s about her treatment so maybe the question is, should Delta have put an area aside for this kind of personal luggage inspection rather than expose their passengers to ridicule and embarrassment on the tarmac ? She was dumb, Delta were pretty dumb, her lawyer’s not. ---
**Author:** ![Slainte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Slainte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slainte)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/14 "2002-07-27T02:00:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by betenoir \* > \*\* > Umm…yes, I think she had ever right to expect they wouldn’t say anything about it. > \ > > No, they had no business laughing at her (at least not to her face : )) and certainly no business making comments. > > What the hell is so funny about a person having a vibrator? Is Delta employing junior high students? \*\* Possibly so but, that isn’t very realistic. Especially given the current paranoia about traveling. I can see a nervous security person giggling about the “possible bomb” turning out to be a vibrator - partially out of relief, partially out of genuine surprise. Was it out of line to laugh in front of her: yes but, does it merit a lawsuit for “infliction of distress and gender discrimination” not really. She sees $$$ like most people nowadays. And, in the vein that there is nothing funny about a vibrator: what the hell is so shameful that it causes this much distress that she now needs compensation? ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/15 "2002-07-27T02:04:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pldennison \* > \*\* > Airport Security Officer: Nine times out of ten it’s an electric razor, but every once in a while… [whispering] it’s a dildo. Of course it’s company policy never to, imply ownership in the event of a dildo… always use the indefinite article “a dildo”, never “your dildo”. \*\* With all respect to Chuck Palahuik, I must point out that many if not most vibrators (let’s say, vibrating sex toys) are not dildos and many if not most dildos do not vibrate. Two different things, actually 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![butter\_pie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@butter\_pie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butter_pie)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/16 "2002-07-27T02:26:17Z")
This reminds me of one time when my SO and I were coming back into the states from Canada by car… the American customs guys pulled us from the car, searched and interrogated him, asked me a couple of questions and let me go. Where I was standing, I could watch one of the officers outside searching my suitcase. I watched him pull out my thigh-high fishnet stockings, garter belt, and a huge silver and black dog leash, drop everything back in the suitcase and zip it up _real_ fast. Heh. Next time I fly I’m putting my riding crop in my carry-on. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/17 "2002-07-27T02:33:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Slainte \* > \*\* > > Possibly so but, that isn’t very realistic. Especially given the current paranoia about traveling. I can see a nervous security person giggling about the “possible bomb” turning out to be a vibrator - partially out of relief, partially out of genuine surprise. > > Was it out of line to laugh in front of her: yes but, does it merit a lawsuit for “infliction of distress and gender discrimination” not really. She sees $$$ like most people nowadays. > > And, in the vein that there is nothing funny about a vibrator: what the hell is so shameful that it causes this much distress that she now needs compensation? \*\* I never said she warrented compensation. Actually, no, I don’t belive we humans are so fragile we need massive monatary compensation every time we’re embarrassed or inconvienced. And I think she should be proud of her vibrator :). I just also think, by the sound of it, those Delta workers were unprofessional assholes (from what I know of the story anyway). And she has a right to call them on it. Maybe not to get rich off of it. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/18 "2002-07-27T02:44:03Z")
It’s one thing to maybe smile and even let out a little giggle. It’s another thing to make a big production of howling, waving said sex toy around and making crude remarks. Snicker a bit, put it back, smile and then move on. Professionalism, people? How about going to Kmart, and buying condoms? I’ve checked them out-should I hold the package up and start hooting and saying, “oooh, someone’s gettin’ lucky tonight!” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![apotheosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba8739/32.png) [@apotheosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apotheosis)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/19 "2002-07-27T02:52:40Z")
If a woman can’t travel with a vibrator, then the terrorists have already won. ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2002, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038/20 "2002-07-27T03:25:32Z")
You know, I had something along those lines happen to me about two years ago. I was at the garage getting my car serviced, and I was talking to the mechanic and a couple of other guys, when I heard a low-pitched buzzing coming from my purse, and felt the vibration. I knew what it was immediately. I couldn’t really do anything about it at that moment, so I had to finish talking to the guys and wait until I was alone to reach into my handbag and turn the thing off. If the garage guys heard it or knew what it was, they gave no indication. At least they didn’t ask to see it… Heh. Serves me right for carrying the damn thing in my purse. Hey, you tote something like that around, you take your chances! 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-sues-delta-claims-she-was-humiliated-by-public-inspection-of-sex-toy/121038.md?page=2)