Doctor files discrimination lawsuit against American Airlines LOS ANGELES (AP) =97 A doctor who says American Airlines refused to allow= him=20 to fly because of a hip injury filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday alleging a=20 violation of the federal disabilities act. Dr. Joel Gelman, an Irvine=20 surgeon, said the airline violated the Americans with Disabilities Act when= =20 a gate attendant refused to let him board a plane because he did not have a= =20 doctor's note specifically clearing him to fly after hip surgery. Gelman=20 said he presented a note from his doctor that gave specific seating=20 instructions to the airline for the March 2 flight from Boston to Los=20 Angeles. It stated he needed an aisle or bulkhead seat to give him extra=20 room. "The airline chose to ignore the implied message that if it was OK to= =20 sit in an aisle seat he must be OK to fly," said Gelman's attorney, Dan=20 Callahan. A telephone call to American Airlines seeking comment was not=20 immediately returned Tuesday.Gelman also alleged the airline failed to=20 provide a "comfortable facility" for him as required by the disabilities= act. The lawsuit alleges an airline employee wheeled Gelman into another=20 terminal and left him there for five hours. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: http://www.thehummingbirdonline.com TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************