Abby Lee Miller sues airline, claiming employees dropped her at Pittsburgh airport

Reality TV star Abby Lee Miller is suing American Airlines and Pittsburgh International Airport claiming their employees dropped her while transferring her from one wheelchair to another following a 2019 flight.

Abigale Lee Miller, who now lives in Los Angeles, filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. It includes claims for negligence and violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

A spokesman for the airport said he could not comment on pending litigation.

Miller rose to fame through the reality show “Dance Moms,” which included a Penn Hills dance studio. Her career took a turn after she got into criminal trouble. She pleaded guilty in June 2016 to bankruptcy fraud in federal court. According to prosecutors, she hid about $775,000 in income when she filed for bankruptcy in 2010.

She was ordered to serve one year in prison and was released on May 25, 2018.

According to the lawsuit, Miller is physically disabled as a result of Burkitt lymphoma, a rare cancer of the lymph nodes that has affected her spinal cord.

Miller had traveled from Los Angeles to Charlotte to Pittsburgh on July 6, 2019, via American Airlines, according to the lawsuit.

Following their procedures, the lawsuit said that Miller contacted the company about her need for assistance in boarding and exiting the aircraft.

“She explained in detail to American Airlines representatives the assistance she would require for her safety,” the complaint said.

She provided the make and model, size and weight and battery type for her personal electric wheelchair.

On the flight, the lawsuit said that Miller was told she would be the last person to exit the aircraft and would be transferred from an aisle seat near the exit door of the plane to her personal wheelchair, as was typical for her when flying.

But, according to the complaint, when the plane landed at Pittsburgh International Airport, American Airlines personnel transferred her from the aisle seat to their wheelchair, instead of her own.

The airline personnel then moved her to the terminal gate, where she waited for them to retrieve her personal wheelchair.

After they got her wheelchair, the complaint said, they tried to move her from the airlines’ wheelchair.

“The attempt by American Airlines personnel occurred in front of, and in view of, a crowd of spectators at the PIA terminal gate,” the lawsuit said.

It was then that they dropped her, according to the lawsuit.

Afterward, Miller asked someone to call 911, and she maneuvered herself to a wall so that she could lean on it while waiting for help.

Eventually, the lawsuit said, fire department personnel arrived, put Miller in a “tarp-like harness” and lifted her to her wheelchair.

Miller claims in the lawsuit that the airlines’ actions caused her to tear two muscles in her rotator cuff, as well as pain and weakness in her shoulder, bicep, back, arm and neck.

Because of the injuries, the complaint said, Miller has been unable to attend therapy for a previous spinal surgery.

The lawsuit alleges that Miller has suffered pain, mental anguish and humiliation, as well as emotional distress and loss of income.

American Airlines didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. However, a spokesperson for the company issued a statement to Woman’s Day shortly after the incident. In it, they said, “We are concerned by the issues raised by Ms. Miller regarding her recent experience at Pittsburgh International Airport and are working with our team at PIT and our contracted special assistance vendor to review the incident. We have been in touch with Ms. Miller to apologize and are providing her a full refund as a result of her experience.”