Man reportedly attacked by emotional-support dog on flight sues owner, Delta

A man is suing Delta Air Lines and one of its passengers after an emotional-support dog reportedly mauled him on a flight.

Alabama resident Marlin Jackson suffered “extensive facial damage,” including lacerations to his nose and mouth, and bled so profusely “that the entire row of seats had to be removed from the airplane,” according to the suit filed Friday in Georgia, reports NBC News.

According to NBC News:

Jackson was in a window seat on a Delta flight from Atlanta to San Diego in June 2017. Fellow passenger Ronald Mundy from North Carolina was in the middle seat “with his large dog attempting to sit in his lap,” according to the suit, which says that Delta’s policy required large dogs to be secured on the floor.

“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,” the suit states.

Jackson reportedly asked Mundy if the dog would bite and Mundy assured him the animal was safe. As Jackson buckled his seat belt, the dog growled and shifted in Mundy’s lap, according to the lawsuit. Jackson again asked if the dog was safe, and Mundy said it was.

The dog lunged at Jackson, biting him several times in the face and pinning him against the window, the suit states.

“The attack was briefly interrupted when the animal was pulled away from Mr. Jackson. However, the animal broke free and again mauled Mr. Jackson’s face,” according to the lawsuit.

Jackson needed 28 stitches and lost sensation in parts of his face, the suit states. He also experiences “emotional distress and mental anguish” from the attack.

“Marlin Jackson continues to suffer from the vicious dog attack,” his attorneys J. Ross Massey and Graham Roberts told NBC News.

A Delta spokesperson told NBC News the airline changed its policy in 2018 regarding emotional-support animals by requiring a “confirmation of animal training” form, as well as other official documentation.

“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,” the spokesperson told NBC News in a statement.

Delta has also banned emotional-support animals on flights longer than eight hours, reports NBC News.