A NEW YORK woman filed a $10 million (£6.6m) defamation suit in Manhattan federal court against British Airways for accuse her of abandoning a newborn baby at Heathrow Airport.
Federal agents stopped British Airways flight 177 on the tarmac of John F. Kennedy International Airport on February 26th, announced that the woman and her friend had abandoned a baby at Heathrow and arrested them, the woman's attorney, Mr Michael O'Neill said.
Mr O'Neill said the woman, Ms Gillian MacIntosh Hernandez, has never given birth to any child and was returning from a simple vacation to London and Paris.
Shortly before the flight a babe boy was found wrapped in plastic in a waste bin in the women's bathroom at Heathrow.
British Airways told crews on planes that had just left to look out for any woman who might have just given birth.
"Certain personnel of British Air on Flight 177 arbitrarily reached the conclusion, without any basis or cause whatsoever, that plaintiff Hernandez appeared to have just given birth," the complaint said.
Mr O'Neill said they suspected her because she asked a flight attendant for aspirin, complaining of menstrual cramps.
"The two women had a teddy bear and I guess one of the attendants thought it was purchased in anticipation of giving birth," Mr O'Neill said.
The airline, however, apparently overlooked the fact that Ms Hernandez is black and the baby was Caucasian, with blonde hair and blue eyes, the lawyer said.
British Airways also failed to notice that the woman, who was "rail thin," had boarded the flight in Paris and had only stopped in London for 60 to 90 minutes, he said.
"It would require a considerable amount of precision to board a plane in Paris while in labour, give birth in London, then board another plane an hour later," Mr O'Neill said.
After the baby was discovered he was kept warm in a British Airways uniform hat. He was tentatively named Timothy Ian after the paramedics who rescued him from near death.
British Airways declined comment.
The Times reported in June that after three months of searching for the mother, authorities would clear the way for the baby's adoption.