Additional Coverage:
- Seattle woman takes Navy’s Blue Angels to court over social media censorship and ‘acoustic torture’ of cat (foxnews.com)
Seattle Resident Sues Blue Angels Over Instagram Block
A Seattle woman has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels, alleging they violated her First Amendment rights by blocking her on Instagram. Lauren Ann Lombardi claims the squadron blocked her after she complained about the noise from their annual Seattle air shows, which she says “terrorized” her ailing cat, Layla.
The lawsuit, filed on July 21, names Navy Commander Adam Bryan, Blue Angels Public Affairs Officer L. Ben Bushong, and an unnamed social media administrator as defendants. Lombardi argues the Blue Angels’ shows, featuring F/A-18E/F Super Hornet jets, create excessive noise levels that negatively impacted her cat, who suffered from congestive heart disease.
Lombardi’s lawsuit states she used the Blue Angels’ Instagram account to voice her concerns and advocate for the cancellation of the 2023 and 2024 shows. However, her comments, some containing strong language directed at the squadron, ultimately resulted in her being blocked from the account. She alleges this action prevented her from further expressing her grievances and limited public awareness of her complaints.
The lawsuit describes Layla’s distress during the air shows and attributes the cat’s declining health, and eventual passing in August 2024, to the stress caused by the noise. Lombardi contends that Layla’s final days were filled with fear due to the “relentless noise pollution.”
While expressing respect for the military, Lombardi’s lawsuit focuses on what she describes as the “environmental and Constitutional harms” caused by the Blue Angels’ practices and subsequent online censorship. She seeks to be unblocked from the Instagram account, mandatory First Amendment training for the defendants, and reimbursement for her legal fees.
The Blue Angels have declined to comment on the pending litigation.