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A plane in the US had to be diverted after a man used a gadget to prevent the woman in front from pushing her seat into the reclining position.She reportedly retaliated by throwing a cup of water in his face.The United Airlines flight from Newark to Denver was then forced to land in Chicago. The brawling passengers were evicted.The mid-air fight started because the man, seated in a middle seat, used a "Knee Defender" - a 21-dollar banned gadget that attaches to a passenger's tray table and stops the seat in front from reclining.A flight attendant asked the man to remove the device, but he refused.As the brawl escalated, the pilot decided to make an unscheduled stop at the Chicago airport , where the flight was met by Chicago policemen and Transportation Security Administration officials.

They questioned the unidentified combatants - both 48 - but did not place either under arrest.Both passengers were traveling in United's Economy Plus section, which is advertised as having four more inches of legroom than the rest of the plane.