Mom sues Delta Airlines over breastfeeding

Published: Oct. 9, 2009 at 1:49 AM

BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 9 (UPI) -- A New Mexico woman has sued Delta Airlines over being thrown off a flight in Burlington, Vt., for refusing to cover herself while breastfeeding her baby.

Delta and Freedom Airlines Inc., which operated the Delta Connections commuter flight, are both named as defendants, The Burlington Free Press reported Thursday. Emily Gillette's lawyer filed the suit this week in U.S. District Court in Burlington.

In court papers, Gillette said flight attendants ordered her off the plane when she refused to cover herself with a blanket while nursing her 22-month-old daughter. She said her breast could not be seen and she did not behave belligerently.

Gillette said the incident, three years ago, made her feel "shamed and humiliated" and she continues to suffer anxiety about breastfeeding her second daughter in public places.

Elizabeth Boepple of Portland, Maine, Gillette's lawyer, said Vermont law on nursing in public is the strongest in the country.

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Mom sues Delta Airlines over breastfeeding