A British air traveller who sat in an economy class seat for too long has been awarded $1380 by a British court for being exposed to the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Brian Horan didn’t develop DVT, but the fact that the 1.8m businessman was stuck in an economy class seat for nearly nine hours while he flew from Manchester to Calgary in Canada was enough for a British judge. He ruled that Mr Horan suffered the fear that he had contracted DVT, and found against the travel agent who sold him the ticket.

That has sent the British legal fraternity into a tailspin, with lawyers predicting many more cases where fear will be as good as an actual malady. The travel agency is contemplating an appeal, and we’d like to bet its insurer will be happy to pay for it.