A California woman claims Delta Air Lines forced her to sit in a seat so foul she contracted a “severe bacterial infection,” according to a federal lawsuit reviewed by The Independent.
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she → claim → Independent
Upon boarding Delta flight 763 from Atlanta to Los Angeles on August 18, 2025, Ricka Thomas, 48, says seat 14F, in the economy section, was “so obviously filthy and nasty,” she wouldn’t sit down until it was cleaned, her complaint states.
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complaint → board → section
It says a flight attendant summoned maintenance to deal with the dirty seat, but that they showed up without the right tools for the job.
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they → say → job
Since the plane was about to take off, Thomas was told she would simply have to make do, the complaint contends.
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complaint → take → ?
Thomas “then used her hands to remove said foreign objects,” according to the complaint, which was initially filed May 5 in state court and removed to Los Angeles federal court on September 28.
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which → use → September
“The things she had to remove with her hand[s] were trash, yellow sticky stuff, mildew and old and rotten food, which caused [Thomas] to suffer a severe bacterial infection,” the complaint goes on.
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complaint → have → infection
The complaint describes Thomas’s “severe physical injuries” as “bacterial infection [dermatitis] and rash, blisters, discoloration and severe swelling of her hands.”
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complaint → describe → hands
Fifteen months later, Thomas, a licensed behavioral specialist, allegedly “continues to suffer mental and emotional anguish, nightmares, [and] insomnia.”
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Thomas → continue → anguish
She has since been unable to work, and can no longer perform her “customary household and recreational activities,” according to the complaint.
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She → work → complaint
Thomas, who is demanding $100,000 for pain and suffering, has incurred some $15,000 to date in medical expenses, expects to spend about $25,000 more on future doctor bills, and claims she will lose roughly $30,000 in total earnings due to the infection.
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she → demand → infection
Delta knew the unsanitary conditions posed a hazard but chose to fly anyway, endangering Thomas’s health, the complaint argues.
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complaint → know → health
It says Delta is legally responsible for the negligence of its crew, and that the carrier violated its duty of care to protect passengers from physical harm.
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carrier → say → harm
A Delta spokesperson did not respond on Thursday to requests for comment.
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spokesperson → respond → comment
However, in a formal answer to Thomas’s complaint, Delta denied “each and every allegation.”
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Delta → deny → allegation
The airline argued in its filing that Thomas “failed to exercise reasonable and ordinary care to avoid an obvious danger[,] to the extent such a danger existed,” and that her injuries were caused “in whole or in part” by her own actions.
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injuries → argue → actions
Further, Delta said that while it was not responsible for what happened, if the court did ultimately rule against the company, the amount awarded to Thomas should be reduced by anything she has already received, or will receive, whether from insurance or some other third-party settlement.
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she → say → insurance
Delta has been hit previously with complaints involving its seats, both soiled and otherwise.
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Delta → hit → seats
In 2018, Delta passenger Daniel Meehan reportedly took his business class seat aboard a flight from Atlanta to Miami and unknowingly sat in feces left behind by an unwell service dog.
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Meehan → take → dog
He told CNBC that Delta flight attendants gave him two paper towels and a bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin to clean his shoes and trousers, which were covered in poop, but that the gesture was insufficient.
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gesture → tell → poop
“There was still feces in the carpet and feces under my seat,” Meehan told the outlet.
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Meehan → be → outlet
“... I bought a plane ticket and [Delta] made me sit and fester in dog feces for two hours.”
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me → buy → hours
In December 2025, a Virginia family sued Delta after bedbugs allegedly feasted upon them in their seats during an international journey – a codeshare flight operated by KLM – from Atlanta to Europe.
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bedbugs → sue → Europe
All four members of the Albuquerque family were bitten “multiple times by the bugs that had infested the plane’s cabin,” according to their complaint, which was filed in Roanoke federal court.
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which → bite → court
“Due to the visible marks on their skin and unrelenting itchy feeling,” the Albuquerques “were unable to enjoy their vacation,” according to the complaint.
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Albuquerques → enjoy → complaint
(Delta was eventually absolved of responsibility; KLM settled the case in August for $35,000, according to court records.
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KLM → absolve → records
)
Earlier this year, Delta passenger Rolando Jimenez sued Delta following a five-and-a-half-hour flight during which a “large” passenger sitting next to him encroached on his space, forcing him into a “twisted posture against the aircraft wall,” his attorney claimed.
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attorney → sue → wall
Jimenez “experienced immediate and severe pain radiating from his lower back down his left leg when he attempted to stand after landing,” and later required spinal surgery, according to reports.
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he → experience → reports
The case remains pending, court records show.
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records → remain → ?
As for Thomas, she is now demanding compensatory and general damages, plus special damages for past and future medical expenses, as well as court costs and attorneys’ fees.
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she → demand → expenses
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