Saunders had suffered some hearing loss about 20 years ago due to meningitis. She was not wearing her hearing aids at the time of the airplane incident.

But her lawyer, Michael Mossberg, said her hearing has deteriorated so much that she needs more powerful hearing aids, which cost $9,000.

Her hearing loss has affected not only her work as a real estate agent and the operator of a cooking school, but her personal life, as well. "People tell me I shout at them. And when I watch television, for my family it is a nightmare because I have it so loud," she said.