A Georgia woman alleges TSA agents ignored her request for a pat-down due to her spinal cord implant

She claims the metal detector caused pain and destroyed her device, requiring medical treatment and surgery

A lawsuit filed in Georgia accuses TSA of violating its own policies and seeks unspecified damages through a jury trial

A Georgia woman has filed a lawsuit claiming she experienced “shock and immediate pain” after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees “forced” her to walk through a metal detector.

On Feb. 18, Kerri Thomas filed a civil complaint against the United States in connection with an May 2024 incident that she says took place at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and involved TSA employees. In the complaint, Thomas alleges that agents “ignored” her pleas to be screened via pat-down due to her spinal cord stimulator implant.

The complaint claims that Thomas arrived at the North Security checkpoint at the airport around 5 a.m. local time on May 21, 2024. Upon arrival, Thomas alleges she informed the agents of her device and presented a medical identification card. However, she alleges that the employees ignored her request and card.

“[Thomas] repeatedly asked one or more [TSA] employees or agents to be taken to a private room to be patted down rather than be forced to go through the metal detector,” the complaint says. Instead, she claims, “the [TSA] employee or agent stated, ‘the only way you are getting on the plane is to go through the machine.’ ”

A spinal cord stimulator is an implanted device designed to send low levels of electricity directly into the spinal cord to relieve pain, according to John Hopkins Medicine. The device includes a small, pacemaker-like battery and thin wires and is controlled by patients when they feel pain.

Per Johns Hopkins, airport security scanners will detect stimulators, but identification cards issued by providers will let patients bypass the machine. John Hopkins writes “some people find that airport security gates cause uncomfortable (but harmless) interference with their stimulators.”

When Thomas approached the machine, she claims that she attempted to inform another TSA employee of her condition, but that the employee told her the machine had been “adjusted” and/or "recalibrated" to have less of an effect on her.

“[Thomas] felt a shock and immediate pain from the screening machine destroying her spinal cord stimulator,” the complaint alleges.

The document alleges the TSA employees failed to follow the agency’s policy regarding passengers’ rights to request a pat-down in lieu of walking through the scanner.

On the TSA's website, the agency directs passengers that “do not wish to go through screening by technology, [tp] inform the TSA officer and they will conduct a pat-down. Pat-downs are conducted by a TSA officer of the same sex, and you may request private screening at any time.”

The complaint further claims Thomas suffered “injuries and tangible damages and intangible damages, requiring medical treatment, including surgery.”

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The lawsuit names the U.S. as the defendant, citing the Federal Tort Claims Act, which allows individuals to sue the government for monetary damages. Thomas demands a jury trial and is seeking relief for her injuries and damages in an unspecified amount to be determined in court.

PEOPLE has reached out to the TSA and Thomas’ attorney for comment.

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