A New Jersey woman was sexually assaulted on an American Airlines flight by a stranger who climbed on top of her in the air, and she blames the airline for failing to stop the assault, a new lawsuit says.
According to documents filed in federal court last week, the vile assault occurred on Aug. 26, 2022, during a nighttime flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
Shortly after the plane took off, the woman fell asleep and later “woke up to find the assailant's left arm inside her pants and his right hand forcibly gripping her penis,” according to the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, the woman, whose name The Post is not revealing, was seated between her friend and an “unidentified male passenger” during the two-hour flight.
According to reports, the man covered himself and the victim with a black down jacket and then “penetrated” the sleeping victim with his fingers, causing him to wake up frozen in a “state of shock and panic.”
The stranger then got on top of her and “attempted, and was partially successful, in inserting his penis inside her,” according to the lawsuit.
“Plaintiff mustered courage and pushed the assailant away, but the assailant quickly returned to his seat,” the lawsuit alleges.
When the attacker noticed a flight attendant nearby, he acted as if nothing had happened and asked the victim if she wanted water while “forcefully grasping” her hand, according to the lawsuit.
Shortly after, the woman woke her friend and reported the assault to a flight attendant, who then moved the victim to a different seat for the remainder of the flight, according to the lawsuit.
Once the plane landed, the man was “removed from the aircraft,” and authorities received reports of the assault from the victim and other witnesses, according to the lawsuit, but it is “unclear whether the assailant was ever detained or charged with sexually assaulting Plaintiff,” the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit cites FBI data that found there were 96 incidents of sexual assault on board planes last year and claims the airline industry is “fully aware” of the rise in sexual assaults on planes.
The lawsuit claims the woman “did nothing to cause or contribute to the assault she suffered” and that American Airlines had a “duty of care” to ensure her safety during the flight.
“American Airlines breached its duty of care by failing to adequately monitor the cabin, failing to prevent the sexual assault, and failing to intervene promptly when the assault occurred,” the lawsuit alleges.
The woman's lawyer, Brian Andris, told The Washington Post on Monday, “As outlined in the complaint, we seek justice on behalf of our client to right this terrible injustice for all the suffering she has endured.”
The suspects are not named as defendants in the lawsuit, and court documents do not list attorneys.
American Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post on Monday.
