Jay Leno has been slapped with a lawsuit by a former flight attendant who says a joke of his has caused her humiliation and to become a "pariah" in her town.
According to TheWrap, Leno made a joke about former American Airlines flight attendant Louann Giambattista who made the news because of a story about her allegedly smuggling a pet rat in her underwear and pantyhose during flights.
The suit, filed in New York Supreme Court, alleges "Leno and his guests falsely accused Ms. Giambattista of engaging in sexual relations with a rat," during his "Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda" segment. Leno had joked on a July 2013 episode, "If I were one of those rats, I would've been very upset, I prefer not to sit in cooch."
Gianbattista and her husband, Steven Goldring, are "pariahs in their own community, among their long-standing group of friends, among their co-workers and even among family," she says. Plus, her sex life has suffered because "every time he looks at her he thinks of Defendant Leno and the heinous segment depicting her as a sexual deviant."
The lawsuit says the comments were "sickening, outrageous and disgusting attacks" on her, reports Courthouse News. Back in June, the 55-year-old sued American Airlines, claiming that her co-workers were lying about her "carrying her pet rats onto work flights, and concealing them in her pantyhose or underwear."
None of the three guest comedians are named in the suit, but they "systematically criticized, defamed, and humiliated" Gianbattista. She claims Leno knew the story was false and is asking for unspecified damages, plus pay she won't receive and attorney's fees.
image: Wikimedia Commons
