The family of a man who died on board a flight to Miami in May has sued American Airlines and the company that provided the in-flight meal, alleging that airplane food is what caused the passenger’s death.

On May 18, the man and his wife had flown on American from Barcelona, Spain, to JFK Airport in NYC. During their transfer to the flight to Miami, the lawsuit says he felt “discomfort and pain that included sharp stomach cramps and sudden thirst and other clear outward manifestation of severe physical illness.”

The couple boarded the flight to Miami, but when he became unresponsive following a cardiac event, the plane made an emergency landing in Virginia, where the man was pronounced dead.

According to the suit, AA and Sky Chefs failed “to properly maintain or prepare the food” and alleges the food become tainted by Clostridium perfringens bacteria, a common cause of foodborne illness, but one that rarely results in fatalities.

The man’s wife and daughter have sued for more than $1 million from the two companies.

However, a rep for Sky Chefs tells CNN the caterers have absolutely nothing to do with this incident: “Based upon the allegations in the complaint it is not possible that Sky Chefs is the responsible party because we did not cater the Barcelona flight in question.”

Family: In-flight meal killed flier [CNN]

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