Woman Who Wouldn’t Give Up a Plane Window Seat to Child is Suing Airline and Passenger Who Filmed Her

A woman who refused to give up her plane window seat to a child has taken both the airline and the passenger who filmed her to court. The incident happened in December 2024 on a GOL Airlines flight in Brazil, and the video quickly spread across social media. Yet, the story and the aftermath has gone viral again on Facebook.

Jeniffer Castro, who was 29 at the time, was flying from Rio de Janeiro to Belo Horizonte when she found a young boy sitting in her assigned window seat. She asked him to move, but he wanted to stay there because his grandmother was sitting next to it, even though his family had another window seat available.

Another passenger, Eluciana Cardoso, pulled out her phone and started recording Castro as she sat by the window with her headphones in. Cardoso later sent the video to her daughter Marianna, who posted it online.

Castro revealed on the Cola Mais Podcast in January 2025 that she was suing GOL and Cardoso over what happened. Court records from Brazil confirm that separate cases were filed against the airline and the woman who recorded her.

Passenger Criticized Woman for Keeping Her Window Seat

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Cardoso asked Castro whether she had a disability and complained that she wouldn’t give up her seat for a child. Castro took off her headphones to ask if she was being recorded, and Cardoso told her she was filming because she had no empathy.

Cardoso later appeared on Globo’s Fantástico to explain what happened. She said she’d lost control of her emotions and apologized for filming Castro, admitting she should have handled things differently.

Castro also spoke to Globo’s Encontro on December 6 about the attention she was getting. People had been messaging her to ask where she lived, and she said she’d stopped following some family members on social media because she was worried about their safety.

By August 2025, Castro was working as a social media influencer after losing her banking job. She told UOL that people had started gathering outside the small bank branch where she worked, and she believed all the attention had played a part in her dismissal.

Woman Says Airline Employees Didn’t Help Her

During her interview with the Cola Mais Podcast, Castro explained why she decided to take legal action against GOL. She said the airline employees never asked if she needed help while the other passenger was filming her. Castro also claimed the crew appeared to support the woman recording and the family with the child.

Castro said she later contacted GOL through Instagram but wasn’t satisfied with its response. According to her account, the company questioned whether she’d asked for assistance during the flight.

Her representatives also accused Cardoso of filming her aggressively and making an already uncomfortable situation worse. GOL declined to comment on the case when CNN Brasil contacted the airline in January 2025.

What Happened to the Lawsuits?

The court cases have continued moving through Brazil’s legal system since Castro first spoke about them in January 2025.

One case against GOL was filed in Minas Gerais in February 2025. Court records show that GOL later appealed, with an appellate decision recorded in August 2026 and another court notice issued in September.

Castro also filed a separate case involving Cardoso and another woman named Mariana Almeida Cardoso. That case concerned the use of Castro’s image and is listed as archived as of March 2025.