An “intoxicated” Brooklyn artist arrested on charges she assaulted a fellow passenger aboard a Southwest Airlines plane, pulling the astonished victim’s hair before spitting in her face, is now facing further legal woes stemming from the ugly altercation.
In a lawsuit filed Monday in New York State Supreme Court and obtained first by The Independent, Kansas resident Livia Rombola says Leanna Perry not only injured her physically in the wild incident, but left her emotionally distressed and psychologically traumatized after bystander video of the brawl went viral.
The footage shows Perry, 32, yelling that she doesn’t want to sit next to “a f**king fat lady,” denigrating Rombola as a “fat-ass b***h,” and an “ugly-ass b***h.” The horrifying situation only ended when Perry was zip-tied, placed on a gurney, and hauled off the aircraft by police.
In the aftermath, “repeated exposure” to the footage, along with myriad news articles and online commentary, have caused Rombola acute distress, along with “reputational harm, professional embarrassment, and social stigma,” according to her complaint.
The lawsuit also names the low-cost airline as a defendant, blaming its policy of unassigned seating for encouraging the chaos. On Tuesday, Rombola’s attorney, Joel J. Turney, told The Independent, “The plaintiff has a strong case against Southwest, especially with respect to their unusual free-for-all seating policy, which was a substantial factor in the cause of the incident.”
Neither Southwest nor Perry responded to requests for comment.
Rombola’s complaint argues that open-seating was “a clear departure from the industry standards of other airlines,” and that the system “created a foreseeable hazard of passenger conflict.”
Southwest’s “lack of proactive seat assignment directly contributed to the confrontation,” according to the complaint, saying it benefits only the airline but “expos[es] passengers” to potential issues such as the one between Perry and Rombola.
Although the open-seating approach was popular with some, the stress of jockeying for a spot was too much for many and has led to brawls between travelers. Last month, Southwest announced it would be phasing out the policy in January 2026, saying 80 percent of its customers preferred an assigned seat.
In a statement at the time, a Southwest Airlines spokesperson told the New York Post, “The customer involved in the incident was removed from the flight and denied boarding. We commend our team for their professionalism during the incident.”
So far in 2025, federal authorities have fielded 1,058 reports of unruly passengers aboard commercial aircraft.
The attack onboard the Southwest flight occurred on June 17, shortly after 1 a.m., according to Rombola’s complaint. During boarding, the complaint says an “erratic” Perry “initially caused a disruption by rejecting an available seat near a different individual.”
Perry then “proceeded through the cabin and ultimately chose to sit near [Rombola], where she… initiated a violent and unprovoked confrontation, involving physical assault, battery, spitting, and the use of slurs.”
In video of the incident posted online, Perry can be seen standing by Rombola and sneering, “Yeah, I’m sorry – I didn’t want to sit next to a f*****g fat lady.”
Perry, an illustrator who has done work for top brands including Adidas, Hot Topic, and Maybelline, appeared to be “possessed” during the epic meltdown, witnesses said.
Perry was drunk, and never should have been permitted to get on flight number 779 from LaGuardia Airport in Queens to Kansas City, Missouri, according to the complaint.
FAA regulations prohibit commercial carriers from allowing intoxicated passengers onboard.
The confrontation soon spiraled out of control, with Perry yelling, “Shut the f**k up, don’t f**king touch me!” while concerned crew members and bystanders tried to intervene.
“Let go of her hair!” one crew member instructs Perry, who ignores the command.
Perry continued her harangue, shrieking, “Look at this fat-ass b****h, you can’t even see her stomach,” as Rombola sits by quietly.
“Your boyfriend’s d**k is like, two inches big,” Perry shouts at Rombola. “It’s embarrassing. I’m so sorry about your boyfriend.”
This went on for several minutes, the video shows, with Perry calling Rombola an “ugly-ass b***h,” until members of the cabin crew, along with a couple of helpful passengers, managed to zip-tie Perry’s hands behind her back. Perry is then brought down to the floor, after which she begins kicking her legs in the air and screaming, “F**k you, f**k you, f**k you!”
When police arrived, they strapped Perry down and wheeled her off the plane, after which she was charged with numerous misdemeanors that each carry up to a year in jail: obstructing governmental administration; three counts of attempted assault with intent to cause physical injury; disorderly conduct; and three counts of harassment.
Appearing before a judge later that morning for arraignment, Perry pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Perry’s lawyer in the criminal case, Legal Aid attorney Carl Tropnas, did not respond on Tuesday to a request for comment.
Rombola is seeking an award of damages to be determined in court. Perry, who now has roughly three weeks to respond to Rombola’s lawsuit, is due back in Queens Criminal Court on September 3.
