Airline ordered to pay influencer's therapy bill after claims she was barred from flight 'because she was too big for her seat'
21 December 2022, 17:45 | Updated: 21 December 2022, 17:50
An airline has been ordered to pay a Brazillian influencer's psychotherapy bill following claims she was discriminated against because "she was too big for her seat".
The Sao Paulo court ruled in favour of plus-sized model and influencer Juliana Nehme, 38, after she claimed she was stopped from boarding a flight between Beirut and Doha because of her size.
Posting to her audience of167,000 Instagram followers at the time of the incident, Juliana said: "They are denying my right to travel... I'm desperate, help me, they don't want me to board because I'm fat."
Ordering Qatar Airways to foot the bill for her psychotherapy sessions, the Sao Paulo court heard how the influencer suffered distress as a result of the incident.
It stands in contrast to a statement from Qatar Airways, who had previously insisted Ms Nehme was "extremely rude and aggressive to check-in staff".
Read more: Fury at Priti Patel's Christmas card showing her as a fairy magicking up Rwanda deportations
Ms Nehme had flown to Lebanon on a family holiday and arrived in the country on an Air France flight. She said there had been no issues arriving via the airline.
The plus-sized model stayed in Lebanon with her mother following the incident, leaving her sister and nephew to return home to Brazil.
The influencer's lawyer, Eduardo Barbosa, described the verdict as "a milestone in the fight against prejudice",Ms Nehme has since released a social media post recounting the incident.
Judge Renata Martins de Carvalho who presided over the case ordered that treatment must consist of "weekly therapy session worth BRL 400 (£63) for a period of at least one year, totalling BRL 19,200 (£3,000), to be deposited in the plaintiff's bank account".
Judge Carvalho said the "granting of urgent relief" to Ms Nehme, adding it was a "reasonable and proportionate measure" to ensure that the "stressful and traumatic event is overcome".
Qatar Airways said in a statement: "Qatar Airways treats all passengers with respect and dignity and in line with industry practices and similar to most airlines.
"Anyone who impedes upon the space of a fellow traveller and cannot secure their seatbelt or lower their armrests may be required to purchase an additional seat both as a safety precaution and for the comfort and safety of all passengers.
"The passenger in question at Beirut Airport was initially extremely rude and aggressive to check-in staff when one of her travelling party did not produce required PCR documentation for entry to Brazil."
"As a result, airport security was requested to intervene as staff and passengers were extremely concerned with her behaviour."
