An airline has been ordered to pay for a woman's therapy after she claims she was denied from boarding one of their planes for being “too fat”.
Plus-sized influencer Juliana Nehme, 38, took to Instagram to accuse Qatar Airways of discriminating against her due to her size.
Speaking to her 167,000 followers, Juliana said she wasn’t allowed to board her flight from Beirut to Doha on November 22.
The influencer said she’d been on holiday in Lebanon with her family and had arrived in the country via Air France without any issues.
But not being able to board her first return flight meant she'd also miss her onward connection to Sao Paulo, Brazil where she lives.
Juliana claimed Qatar Airways said she needed to buy a business-class ticket costing $3,000 (£2,500) in order to fit on the plane’s larger seats.
The influencer claimed the airline didn’t offer to refund her the $1,000 (£820) she spent on her ticket.
She took to social media saying: "They are denying my right to travel...I'm desperate, help me. They don't want me to board because I'm fat."
In the end, Juliana ended up staying in Lebanon with her mother, while her sister and nephew were able to return home without any issues.
She told her followers: "What a shame for a company like Qatar to allow this type of discrimination against people! I'm fat, but I'm just like everyone else!"
Following the incident, a court in Sao Paulo has ordered Qatar Airways to pay for Juliana's psychotherapy so she can come to terms with the distress caused.
Judge Renata Martins de Carvalho ruled on 20th December that the airline must pay for psychiatric or psychological treatment for the influencer by a trusted professional.
The court said the treatment must consist "of a weekly therapy session worth BRL 400 (£63) for a period of at least one year, totalling BRL 19,200 (£3,000), to be deposited in the plaintiff's bank account"
Judge Carvalho said the "granting of urgent relief is a reasonable and proportionate measure to ensure that the stressful and traumatic event is overcome" by Juliana.
The influencer's lawyer, Eduardo Barbosa, described the ruling as "a milestone in the fight against prejudice".
Speaking to the Brazilian media, Juliana spoke of the trauma caused by the incident.
She said: "It was like I wasn't a human being to them. I was a fat monster that couldn't get on board.
"It was horrible. I'd never imagined going through something like this, ever.
"It hurts me now to remember how much I blamed myself, because I blamed myself a lot, I even asked my mother for forgiveness several times.
"I said, 'Mum, forgive me, because me being like this stopped you from going home.' And she said it wasn't my fault."
After speaking to the Brazilian ambassador, both Juliana and her mother were eventually able to return home on a different flight without having to pay extra fees.
Juliana told local media: "The ambassador called me and said he would help me. We stayed in an embassy home waiting for the decision.
"Then, he called me on the 24th and said that he had spoken with the president of Qatar (Airways) and that I was authorised to return paying only what I had paid, that I wouldn't have to pay anything else.
"We took a flight that same day and arrived in Brazil on the 25th."
Qatar Airways said in a statement: "Qatar Airways treats all passengers with respect and dignity and in line with industry practices and similar to most airlines, anyone who impedes upon the space of a fellow traveller and cannot secure their seatbelt or lower their armrests may be required to purchase an additional seat both as a safety precaution and for the comfort and safety of all passengers.
"The passenger in question at Beirut Airport was initially extremely rude and aggressive to check-in staff when one of her traveling party did not produce required PCR documentation for entry to Brazil.
"As a result, airport security was requested to intervene as staff and passengers were extremely concerned with her behaviour."
