When Marcel Cote was in his Air Transat seat back in February 2008, he felt some discomfort “in the area between his legs”. He went to the washroom and noticed he was bleeding from his genitals.
He then asked a female flight attendant to send one of her male colleagues, and asked him to examine his bleeding penis.
As can be expected, the flight attendant refused, and handed him some absorbent paper instead. Upon landing, Mr. Cote was transferred to a local hospital, where doctors determined he had a ruptured vein.
Apparently, not having your genitals examined by a flight attendant is enough to sue the airline. Never mind that the flight crew is not trained to perform medical inspections, Mr. Cote claims the incident turned his vacation into a nightmare, and demanded $8,000 (CAD) for the “anguish” he suffered.
Thankfully, the Canadian judge rejected the case, issuing the following statement:
“It was not incumbent upon a flight attendant to conduct the medical examination of a passenger, a measure reserved for the medical profession,”
The judge didn’t deny that Mr. Cote was in some kind of discomfort, but she also maintained that his discomfort did not appear to be a life threatening situation.