A court has ordered an airline to pay for the psychotherapy of a Brazilian plus-size model who was prevented from boarding a flight “because she was too big for her seat.”
Social media influencer Juliana Nehme, 38, claimed earlier this year that she was prevented from boarding a Qatar Airways flight because it was too big and accused the Middle Eastern airline of discriminating against her because of her size.
In a post to her 167,000 Instagram followers, Juliana said at the time: “They are denying me the right to travel… I’m desperate, help me, they don’t want me to board because I’m fat.”
Now, a Sao Paulo court has ordered Qatar Airways to pay for Juliana’s psychotherapy so she can come to terms with the anguish caused by the incident.
The company had previously responded to Nehme’s claims by insisting that she was “extremely rude and aggressive towards billing staff.”
Judge Renata Martins de Carvalho ruled on December 20 that the airline must pay for the influencer’s psychiatric or psychological treatment by a trusted professional.
The treatment must consist ‘of a weekly therapy session worth BRL 400 (£63) for a period of at least one year, for a total of BRL 19,200 (£3,000), to be deposited into the claimant’s bank account’.
Judge Carvalho said that “the granting of an urgent protection is a reasonable and proportionate measure to guarantee that the stressful and traumatic event is overcome” by Juliana.
The influencer’s lawyer, Eduardo Barbosa, described the ruling as “a milestone in the fight against prejudice.”
Juliana spoke of the anguish she went through, telling the Brazilian media: “It was as if I were not a human being to them.” I was a fat monster who couldn’t get on board.
‘It was horrible. I never imagined going through something like this, ever.
But being denied boarding on her first flight back meant she would also miss her connection to Sao Paulo, where she lives.
