LOS ANGELES >> A man is suing after he says one of his pinky fingers was caught in an airline armrest mechanism for nearly an hour during a flight to Los Angeles.

City News Service reports Stephen Keys has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against both American Airlines Inc. and SkyWest Airlines Inc., alleging negligence.

A representative for American, which has a flying agreement with SkyWest, referred all comment to SkyWest, which said, “We worked with our partner American to reach out to Mr. Keys regarding his bruised finger and look forward to swiftly resolving this matter. Due to the ongoing litigation, we cannot comment further.”

The complaint says the injury to his finger left Keys unable to perform such previously routine tasks as driving and playing with his children. It says Keys experienced weeks of intense pain and severe emotional distress.