A man sexually assaulted a mother and her teenage daughter on a nine-hour Delta Air Lines flight, according to a $2 million lawsuit filed against the airline on Tuesday.
The lawsuit accuses the airline of gross negligence and requests compensation for the two victims, according toFox Business.
Robert Alexander/Getty
The Delta attendants served the clearly drunk man, who was seated next to the plaintiffs, 10 vodka drinks and a glass of wine, the documents allege.
“The intoxicated Delta passenger appeared to be getting drunker and drunker as the Delta flight attendants continued serving him alcohol,” the lawsuit, which was filed in the Eastern District of New York, claims.
The man’s behavior was increasingly aggressive throughout the July 26, 2022 flight, and he verbally harassed and inappropriately touched both women, the documents allege.
“What happened to them during a flight was not just a nightmare, it was completely preventable,” the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Evan Brustein, said, according toThe New York Post.
A Delta Airlines flight attendant.Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty
Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty
When the teen’s mother informed the intoxicated man that her daughter was a minor, he drew attention from other passengers when he said that he did not care and proceeded to reach over the 16-year-old to grab at the mother’s arm, the complaint states.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs told Delta flight attendants that the man was making them feel unsafe and requested he be moved and cut off from alcoholic drinks, but they were simply told to “be patient.”
At one point, the head attendant did intervene, telling the Connecticut man to “stop talking to” the plaintiffs, an instruction that prompted him to angrily yell profanities and call the mother and teen “f—ing bitches,” the lawsuit alleges.
A Delta Airlines plane.Nik Oiko/Getty Images
Nik Oiko/Getty Images
“Trembling, petrified and crying," the girl then jumped out of her seat and moved away from the alleged assaulter. He then proceeded to put his hand on her mother’s leg and move it up the inside of her thigh, prompting her to jump out of her seat as well, the lawsuit says.
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After the harassment had escalated from verbal to sexual assault, the mother requested that the flight attendant change their seats, but they allegedly said there was nothing they could do.
A different male passenger volunteered to switch seats with the teen, however, and sat between the man and the mother for the remainder of the trip, according to the filing.
After the plane landed, Delta staff allegedly allowed the intoxicated man to exit the plane without alerting local authorities or U.S. law enforcement about what happened, and offered the mother and daughter 5,000 airline miles as an apology.
Delta has not commented on the lawsuit but, in a statement to Fox Business, said that the airline “has zero tolerance for customers who engage in inappropriate or unlawful behavior.”
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and our people,” Delta told the outlet.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
