A Seattle woman has sued the Navy Blue Angels, claiming its military jets traumatized her dying cat.
The Navy’s flight demonstration squadron, made up of 140 active-duty Sailors and Marines, has been performing shows across the country since 1946. They have a show scheduled in Seattle in early August.
A lawsuit filed by Lauren Ann Lombardi on Monday claimed the Blue Angels’ annual airshows over Seattle in August 2023 and 2024 put her cat Layla, who suffered from congestive heart disease, under extreme distress, local outlet KIRO 7 first reported.
Lombardi claimed the sound of the squadron’s low-flying fighter jets caused Layla to have panic attacks and dangerously elevated her heart rate. She was put down in August 2024.
“Layla’s final days on Earth were marred by sadistic suffering — cowering in terror beneath furniture while her ailing heart struggled against the Blue Angels’s relentless noise pollution. Layla died knowing only fear when she should have known only love,” the lawsuit read.
The lawsuit was filed against Commander Adam Bryan, the commanding officer of the Blue Angels; Lieutenant Ben Bushong, public affairs officer of the Blue Angels, and an unnamed social media administrator of the Blue Angels.
When the The Independent reached out to the Blue Angels, a representative said it does not comment on pending litigation.
Lombardi also claimed she was censored when she tried to voice her opposition to the airshows on Instagram.
She had written online criticisms of the Blue Angels, which included profane language, and she also shared a petition titled, “We All Want to Feel Safe: No More Blue Angels Over Seattle.”
Lombardi said her account was blocked by the official Blue Angeles Instagram account following these online criticisms.
“She was prevented from commenting, receiving information, or participating in public discussions on the page,” the lawsuit said, claiming it violated her First Amendment rights.
The lawsuit seeks to have her account unblocked and prohibit the Blue Angels from blocking other accounts “on the basis of viewpoint.”
Lombardi is also asking for the defendants to complete training on the importance of the First Amendment.
