A woman and her teenage daughter were on a nine-hour Delta Airlines flight when a man sitting next to them sexually assaulted them, according to a $2 million lawsuit filed last Tuesday. The lawsuit against the airline demands compensation for the woman and her daughter and accuses Delta Airlines of gross negligence, according to Fox Business.
On the flight on July 26, 2022, the man was allegedly clearly intoxicated, but the flight attendants continued to serve alcohol to him, serving him at least 10 vodka drinks and a glass of wine, according to court documents. The man's behavior toward the woman and her daughter was aggressive, but flight attendants were allegedly dismissive when the woman and her daughter expressed their concerns.
According to the lawsuit, the man tried to talk to the 16-year-old girl and she tried to ignore him, which made him angry. He then yelled at the girl, made "obscene gestures," demanded to know personal information about her like where she lived, and grabbed her.
When the girl's mom said the girl was a minor, the man reportedly said that he didn't care, then grabbed the mom as well.
He was allegedly screaming loudly and touching them. The woman told the flight attendants that they felt unsafe, to which the flight attendants allegedly said "be patient" before walking away.
The lawsuit states that the head flight attendant told the man to "stop talking to” the woman and her daughter, which then led to him yelling more and using vulgar language.
The man's behavior allegedly caused the teen to have a panic attack. "Terrified," she put her head in her mom's lap and then the man reportedly used his "clammy fingers" to reach under the girl's shirt and touch her bra strap, causing her to jump out of her seat, "trembling, petrified and crying."
The man then allegedly moved his hand up the inside of the woman's thigh. She also jumped out of her seat. When the woman requested new seats, the flight attendants reportedly said there was no solution. Another passenger offered to switch seats with the girl.
The woman and her daughter were offered 5,000 free airline miles.
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