A New Jersey woman has alleged that a stranger sexually assaulted her on an American Airlines flight, and has blamed her carrier for not being able to stop the attack. Documents filed in federal court last week revealed that the incident took place during a nighttime flight from Charlotte, NC, to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on August 26, 2022.
The incident
The lawsuit alleges that the woman fell asleep shortly after the plane took off, and later “awoke to find the Perpetrator’s left arm inside her pants and his right hand forcing her hand onto his penis,” according to New York Post. During the two-hour flight, the victim was seated between a friend and the “unknown male passenger.”
The suit alleges that the suspect covered himself and the victim with his black puffer jacket and “digitally penetrated her” as she slept. The woman was left frozen in “a state of shock and panic” when she woke up.
The man then climbed on top of the woman, “attempting to penetrate her with his penis, which he was partially able to do,” the lawsuit says. “Plaintiff gathered the courage to push Perpetrator away, at which point he quickly returned to his seat,” the suit claims.
When the suspect noticed a flight attendant nearby, he pretended as if nothing happened. He asked the victim if she wanted water while “forcibly holding her hand,” the suit alleges.
The woman woke her friend and they reported the incident to a flight attendant. The woman’s seat was switched for the rest of the flight.
The man was “escorted off the plane” when the flight landed. Authorities went on to take reports from the victim and other witnesses to the attack, but as per the suit, it is “unknown whether the Perpetrator was taken into custody and/or ever charged with the sexual assault of Plaintiff.”
The lawsuit asserts that the airline industry is “well aware” of the rising cases of sexual assaults on flights, and stresses that the victim “did nothing to cause or contribute to the cause of the assault she suffered.” It adds that American Airlines “owed a duty of care” to ensure her safety during the journey.
“American Airlines breached its duty of care by failing to properly monitor the cabin, failing to prevent the sexual assault, and failing to promptly intervene when the assault occurred,” the lawsuit claims.
The woman’s lawyer, Brian Andris, told New York Post on Monday, September 26, “As alleged in the complaint, we look forward to seeking justice on behalf of our client to remedy this terrible injustice for all that she has suffered.”
