Woman at center of seat recline controversy wants to sue American Airlines – New York Post, Nypost.com

The American Airlines passenger whose video of a man punching the back of her reclined seat went viral this week is now threatening to sue the airline.

Wendi Williams ’video showing a fellow passenger shaking her headrest with repeated fist jabs on a Jan. 31 flight from New Orleans to Charlotte made the rounds on social media after she posted a video of the incident to Twitter on Feb . 8.

Now Williams, who claims she was injured in the incident, is after American Airlines – because the company told TMZ she knocked over the man’s drink, an allegation she denies, the gossip site reported Saturday.

Williams alleges the statement was defamatory and the flight attendant’s comments to her on the plane were slanderous – all grounds for a lawsuit, she claims.

“@ AmericanAir Please refrain from placing any blame about what happened to me on your awful airline with your rude flight attendant! And if I inadvertently spilled a drink on the “man” – I had NO idea that happened. Who said it did @AmericanAir? ” Williams tweeted Friday.

American Airlines is reportedly refusing to bow to Williams ’pressure, and said she called Thursday seeking compensation, a source told TMZ. She met with an attorney the next day, she told the gossip site.

The video racked up 2.4 million views by Thursday, and sparked a debate about who’s the bigger jerk – the puncher or the poster? Social media users siding with the unnamed man pointed out that he was in the last seat on the plane, which doesn’t recline, so Williams leaning back would have cut into his already-limited space.

Williams said the airline defended the man and handed her a “passenger disturbance notice” when she refused to stop filming on her cellphone. She eventually complied, but decided to post the video to social media after “exhausting every opportunity for #American Airlines to do the right thing,” she tweeted.