A United Airlines pilot is facing a federal lawsuit after allegedly bursting into an airplane bathroom and forcibly removing a passenger with his pants down, exposing him to fellow travelers and causing physical injury. The passenger, Yisroel Liebb, says the ordeal left him humiliated, bruised, and feeling “sexually violated.”
The incident occurred on January 28, 2025, aboard a flight from Tulum, Mexico to Houston, Texas. According to the complaint filed last week in federal court in Manhattan, Liebb had been experiencing severe gastrointestinal distress and was in the lavatory for about 20 minutes when flight attendants grew concerned. One attendant reportedly asked his travel companion, Jacob Sebbag, to check on him. Liebb assured Sebbag he would be out soon.
Instead of allowing more time, the pilot allegedly intervened in what escalated into a shocking encounter.
“The pilot became visibly enraged, broke the lock on the door, and forced the door to the bathroom open, pulling Liebb out of the bathroom with his pants still around his ankles,” the complaint reads. Liebb was left exposed to Sebbag, several flight attendants, and nearby passengers. “Liebb quickly pulled his pants back to his waist after being allowed to set his feet,” the filing continues.
In the scuffle, Liebb suffered injuries to his head and legs after hitting the restroom’s door frame. But the alleged abuse didn’t stop there.
“With Sebbag leading Liebb, the pilot proceeded to repeatedly push the [two] back to their seats while making threats of getting [them] arrested and making scathing remarks about their Judaism, and how ‘Jews act,’” the complaint states.
Liebb, who says he felt “sexually violated and embarrassed after having been publicly exposed in the nude,” is now suing United Airlines for unspecified damages.
Upon landing in Houston, the situation escalated further. Several U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers boarded the plane, arrested both Liebb and Sebbag, and escorted them to a detention facility inside the airport terminal.
According to the complaint, when Liebb asked why they were being detained, one officer responded, “This isn’t a country or state; we are Homeland [Security], you have no rights here.” Another officer allegedly tightened the handcuffs on Liebb’s wrist in retaliation. Despite Liebb’s pleas that they were being cooperative and posed no threat, both men were placed in separate holding cells and handcuffed to tables.
They also allege that they and their luggage were “subjected to intrusive, unconsented, unwarranted and unreasonable searches.”
United Airlines has not issued a public statement about the incident. CBP confirmed that their officers responded to a reported disturbance but declined to comment further due to ongoing litigation.
This isn’t the first time United has faced public backlash over its treatment of passengers. The airline made headlines in 2017 when Dr. David Dao was violently dragged off an overbooked flight, prompting global outrage and a legal settlement.
As this new case unfolds, it raises serious questions about airline conduct, the use of force, religious discrimination, and the rights of passengers—both in the air and on the ground.
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