NORFOLK, VIRGINIA – A Virginia same-sex couple is suing Houston-based United/Continental Airlines for an incident in which baggage handlers removed a sex toy from one of their checked bags, and then smeared lubricant all over it, finally taping it to the bag before placing it upon the baggage claim belt.

According to court documents in the case—Bridgeman, et al v. United Continental Holdings, Inc. and Continental Airlines, Inc., which was filed on Friday, August 24—Christopher Bridgeman and Martin Borger claim that after they arrived in Houston on a flight from Costa Rica, they retrieved their checked luggage and “discovered, to their horror, that a private sex toy had been removed from one of their bags, covered in a greasy foul-smelling substance, and taped prominently to the top of their bag.”

The suit continues, “Plaintiffs experienced extreme shock and horror when they observed the above described bag, and when observing the surprised and/or laughing faces of numerous onlookers in the baggage claim area.”

The men say that the baggage handlers—who were employed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston—were motivated by “the fact that the sex toy was contained in the bag of a male, and because the employee(s) responsible knew that the bag belonged to a male due to the name tag attached to the bag and the male clothing contained in the bag.”

It adds that “these egregious actions were directed towards Plaintiffs because they are homosexual and because they are males.”

According to the lawsuit, Bridgeman and Borger “seek punitive damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and negligence.”