A Seattle cat mother accused the US Navy’s Blue Angels of robbing her aged cat of a peaceable loss of life after their annual practices for a summer season honest flyover brought about a frequent “sonic barrage” that may terrify the feline she beloved like “a daughter,” in accordance with a lawsuit.
Lauren Ann Lombardi’s 14-year-old cat Layla died on Aug. 11, 2024 following a battle with coronary heart illness that was solely worsened by the Blue Angels’ frequent overhead flying, she alleged in a federal civil grievance filed this week.
“I just wanted to share what happened to her. I wanted people to know, and I wanted there to be some sort of accountability for that. That’s the main thing I wanted to get across was Layla’s story,” Lombardi instructed The Submit.
The lawsuit hinges on the Blue Angels’ alleged blockage of her Instagram account, which she claims violated her First Modification rights.
Yearly, the Blue Angels take part within the Boeing Seafair Air Present in Seattle through the summer season Seafair Competition. The flight squadron practices and performs over Lake Washington, which is only a few miles away from Lombardi’s residence.
The noise from the flyovers would final for a number of minutes as much as thrice a day, she mentioned.
“It’s like what I imagine being in a war zone sounds like. It’s very terrifying, it actually shook our house when they would go by,” Lombardi mentioned.
The cat mother lobbed her first tirade on the air squad in August 2023, her first summer season dwelling within the space after shifting from the East Coast.
“Stop with your F—king bulls–t you are terrorizing my cat and all the other animals and wildlife. Nobody gives a f–k about your stupid little planes,” Lombardi wrote to the squadron through Instagram.
By then, the present had already began. The Blue Angels’ Instagram account allegedly blocked Lombardi shortly after.
She tried to achieve out to name them “cowards” in a direct message two days later, nevertheless it was apparently by no means delivered “due to the blocking,” in accordance with the lawsuit.
“I wasn’t even expecting to get a response, I was just really angry. I know my messages weren’t very nice, but I was just overcome with rage because it terrified her so much,” Lombardi mentioned of Layla.
“The Blue Angels are really cool. Obviously, it’s really impressive, but the harm is real greater than the good, and I just want people to know so they can form their own opinions. By them blocking me, it prevented me from being able to communicate that to people who otherwise wouldn’t know how harmful it is.”
Lombardi claimed that the squad’s “sonic barrage” despatched an already-feeble Layla with mere weeks left to dwell right into a panic once more the next 12 months. To attempt to calm her frail feline, Lombardi barricaded all factors of sound entry in the home and even used her palms to dam the aged cat’s ears.
The devoted cat mother was “traumatized” by Layla’s tragic passing and retired early to make sure her honorary “daughter” was snug throughout her last months, she mentioned.
“She was everything to me. Pet doesn’t even sound right to me, I refer to her as my daughter,” she mentioned.
Every week after the 2024 honest, Layla was humanely euthanized. She spent the majority of her last days hiding underneath furnishings round the home, in accordance with the grievance.
Lombardi famous that she “respects and supports” the US army, however nonetheless asserted that her feline’s sundowning was “pockmarked by debilitating terror brought on by the actions of the United States Government,” in accordance with the grievance.
She doesn’t blame the armed forces for Layla’s loss of life — although the lawsuit is riddled with complaints concerning the cat’s torment. As a substitute, she’s searching for the Blue Angels to unblock her Instagram account and repay her bills, together with “reasonable attorneys’ fees,” in accordance with the grievance.
The lawsuit itself was penned by legal professional Nacim Bouchtia, Lombardi’s husband and Layla’s human father, in accordance with the cat’s obituary.
Lombardi additionally seeks to require a refresher course for the Blue Angels on the “fundamental importance of the First Amendment which the brave men and women of the U.S. Navy are sworn to protect,” in accordance with the grievance.
Her two new cat youngsters, Ozzy and Ziggy, named after the late rockstars Ozzy Osbourne and David Bowie, will probably be experiencing the Blue Angels’ follow for the primary time in only a few days.
In Lombardi’s preferrred world, the air present can be nixed and changed with one thing like a laser mild present, however she acknowledged that eliminating the seven-decade custom can be unrealistic.
The Submit reached out to the US Navy for remark. A consultant for the Blue Angels couldn’t be reached instantly.
