Los Angeles, Nov 20 (IANS): A woman has hit American talk show host Jay Leno with a lawsuit alleging that a guest on his programme accused her of having sexual relations with a rat.

Louann Giambattista, a former flight attendant for American Airlines, has filed the lawsuit in New York City, reports contactmusic.com.

She has claimed that in an episode of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" aired in July, the show's host referenced a news report alleging Giambattista was caught smuggling her pet rat onto flights by carrying the rodent in her underwear.

A guest on the show is said to have remarked, "If I were one of those rats, I would've been very upset. I prefer not to sit in cooch (slang for a female's private parts)."

The suit states, "Leno and his guests falsely accused Ms. Giambattista of engaging in sexual relations with a rat."

The documents further statee that Giambattista's relationship with her husband, Steven Goldring, has been affected by the incident.

A spokesperson for the show is yet to comment on the lawsuit.