Bridgeport Mayor Ganim sues Delta Airlines over dog bite

Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim is suing Delta Airlines over a dog bite he received during the boarding of a flight.

In the lawsuit filed in Connecticut Superior Court, Ganim claimed he was in his seat on a Delta flight on Nov. 10, 2018, when a dog accompanying a boarding passenger allegedly bit him in his lower left leg. Ganim claimed the airline refused to provide him with contact information for the dog”™s owner and the medical history of the animal, thus forcing him to undergo several rabies shots.

Ganim”™s lawsuit argued Delta was negligent for “allowing a dog, neither crated nor muzzled, to walk freely on and within the cabin of the plane.” The mayor claims he suffered “serious, severe, painful and permanent injuries,” and he is seeking unspecified damages.

In its response to the lawsuit, Delta stated it did not provide the contact information on the dog”™s owner due to privacy law requirements. The airline said that it had informed Ganim that the dog was in compliance with its “animal boarding and veterinary health requirements, including a current vaccination for rabies,” adding that Ganim was not “forced to undergo a precautionary rabies treatment.”