An elderly woman, Minnie Holmes, who was mourning the loss of her son, was reportedly punched in the chest by an intoxicated passenger on a Delta Air Lines flight. The altercation occurred when Holmes requested the reclined seat in front of her to be raised so she could access her tray table. The incident took place during her journey from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Minneapolis.

Reportedly, the passenger in front of Holmes, accompanied by her companion, had reclined her seat to an extent that obstructed Holmes from using her tray table. The situation escalated when the passengers, who were described as being intoxicated and disruptive, began causing a disturbance on the flight after consuming a significant amount of alcohol.

The disruptive behavior of the intoxicated passengers led to a confrontation with Holmes, resulting in her being physically assaulted by one of them. This incident has prompted Holmes to pursue legal action against Delta Air Lines, as detailed in a lawsuit filed recently.

Holmes’ daughter then “politely” asked the woman to move up her seat, but she angrily refused, the filing stated.

After the loud retort, a Delta employee was alerted to the group and told the female passenger she was allowed to keep her seat reclined — and eventually came back to serve the already allegedly intoxicated couple even more alcohol, the lawsuit claimed.

The couple then grew more drunk, even jeering at Holmes, all while continuing to be served alcohol, according to the filing, which did not identify the pair.

While Holmes’ daughter went to help her mother grab something from her bag, the angry man allegedly reached behind the seat and forcefully punched Holmes in the chest, according to the lawsuit.

The shocking blow caused Holmes “substantial pain,” the document said.

Despite knowing about the attack, a Delta Air Lines flight attendant allegedly just told the group, “You guys need to figure this out.”

The couple was eventually moved to other seats further away from Holmes and were then escorted off the plane and to law enforcement at the end of the flight, the lawsuit said. It was not clear if they were charged.

Holmes, who had recently lost her son Stephen, had gone on the trip to Puerto Rico for relief during the difficult time, according to the filing.

Now, the retiree is “unable to look at the photos from the trip because it causes her great distress to think about being assaulted by the intoxicated passenger,” the lawsuit said.

Holmes is now seeking a monetary award from Delta for the medical expenses, emotional distress, and pain she allegedly suffered following the assault, the lawsuit said.

“While we don’t have any specific comment on this pending litigation, Delta has zero tolerance for customers who engage in inappropriate or unlawful behavior toward other customers or Delta people and will work with law enforcement to that end,” a Delta spokesperson told the Independent.