Seattle Woman Sues Blue Angels Who Were 'Terrorizing' Her Cat

Newsweek

5 days ago

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A Seattle resident is suing the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy's flight demonstration squadron, accusing them of "terrorizing" her cat and of silencing her dissent online.
Lauren Ann Lombardi, owner of cat Layla, whom Lombardi refers to in the suit as her "daughter," has accused Blue Angels jets of creating a "sonic assault" over her house every August, which she says exacerbated Layla's heart condition and "marred" her "final days on Earth," according to the lawsuit, filed in the Western District Court of Washington at Seattle and seen by Newsweek.
Lombardi messaged and posted about the Blue Angels' impact on her cat on Instagram before being blocked by their official account, according to her suit. She says she was "silenced," and is suing the Navy for violating her First Amendment rights.
"The Blue Angels need to stop being such thin-skinned triggered little babies," she told Newsweek via her lawyer.
Newsweek has contacted the U.S. Navy and organizers of Seattle's August Seafair air show, which features the Blue Angels, via email for contact.
Main: The Blue Angels conduct their practice performance for their annual show and flight performance during Commissioning Week at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland on May 20, 2025. Inset: Layla, the cat
Main: The Blue Angels conduct their practice performance for their annual show and flight performance during Commissioning Week at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland on May 20, 2025. Inset: Layla, the cat
Main: Scott Serio, Inset: Lawsuit against the US Navy/Main: Cal Sport Media via AP Images, Inset: US District Court Western District of Washington
Why It Matters
The August Blue Angels flyover in Seattle is an annual tradition. Blue Angels pilots have been performing across the U.S. since 1946 in front of over 500 million fans over the years, per Seafair.
She has accused the Navy of a constitutional violation as it allegedly blocked her from the Blue Angels Instagram account.
What To Know
Lombardi alleges that the show, which she has called "state-sanctioned acoustic torture," subjected her "beloved family member," Layla, to "pure debilitating terror" prior to her death.
Lombardi's constitutional claims stem from her allegedly being blocked by Blue Angel's Instagram page @usnavyblueangels. Her suit alleges their Instagram page must follow government guidelines and cannot block users from engaging with it.
The suit states that prior to Layla's death, the Blue Angels conducted flights over Seattle. This led to Lombardi sending several expletive-laden messages and a petition calling for the end of their demonstration to the Blue Angel's Instagram account. She also commented on many of posts. On or around August 5, 2024, she alleges she was blocked by the account.
The suit states: "As a result of the blocking, Plaintiff suffered immediate and ongoing Constitutional harm: she was prevented from communicating with the Blue Angels, receiving information from their account, viewing public discourse on their page, and having others see her Constitutionally protected criticism of government actions."
Left: Screenshot of messages from Lombardi to the Blue Angels Instagram account Right: Screenshot of Lombardi unable to access the Blue Angels Instagram account
Left: Screenshot of messages from Lombardi to the Blue Angels Instagram account Right: Screenshot of Lombardi unable to access the Blue Angels Instagram account
US District Court Western District of Washington at Seattle
Layla died by euthanasia on August 11, 2024, after being taken to a specialty hospital a week before following the Blue Angels demonstration.
A week prior to her death, per Lombardi, Layla was taken home to recover from heart surgery. Lombardi alleges that she was unable to recover because she was immediately scared by noise from the Blue Angels show overhead.
"Even through the narcotic fog of sedation and her weakened state, Layla's primitive limbic system overruled her medication and she fled in primal panic beneath furniture, her labored breathing escalating to clinically dangerous levels," says the lawsuit.
Lombardi's suit cites several studies related to noise pollution, including one from 2024 from the University of Washington on the impact of military aircraft at Washington's Naval Air Station, on Whidbey Island. Using analysis of the Navy's own acoustic monitoring data, it found that more than 74,000 people were exposed to noise levels associated with adverse health effects.
The suit is against Commander Adam Bryan in his official capacity as Commanding Officer of the Blue Angels; Lieutenant Ben Bushong in his official capacity as Public Affairs Officer of the Blue Angels; and an unnamed person in their official capacity as Social Media Administrator of the Blue Angels.
The American Civil Liberties Union states on its website: "If a social media account is being used for government business, the First Amendment prohibits blocking followers. So, an account dedicated to a government agency's work cannot block followers. When an individual who works in government posts about their work, whether they may block followers is more complicated."
What People Are Saying
Lauren Ann Lombardi told Newsweek via her lawyer: "The Blue Angels need to stop being such thin-skinned triggered little babies, and they need to personally and earnestly apologize for the harm they caused me and my daughter Layla."
Nacim Bouchtia, an attorney representing Lombardi, told Newsweek: "The First Amendment prohibits government agencies from blocking any users...My client hopes that one day the Blue Angels performances will be replaced with a safe alternative."
The lawsuit reads: "Layla's condition continued to deteriorate and she left home again, for the final time. She spent her last week fighting for her life in a specialty hospital before being humanely euthanized on August 11, 2024, surrounded by her inconsolably grieving family. Layla's final days on Earth were marred by sadistic suffering—cowering in terror beneath furniture while her ailing heart struggled against the Blue Angels's relentless noise pollution. Layla died knowing only fear when she should have known only love."