A New Jersey woman has filed a lawsuit against American Airlines, alleging that the carrier failed to prevent or stop a sexual assault she experienced at the hands of a stranger seated next to her on a flight. According to the Independent, the incident occurred on August 26, 2022, during a nighttime flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Newark Liberty International Airport. The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims that American Airlines bears responsibility for not ensuring her safety and well-being on board.

According to the lawsuit, shortly after takeoff, the woman fell asleep, only to awaken to a horrific discovery. She found the stranger’s arm inside her pants and his hand forcing hers onto his p***s. The man had covered them both with his black puffer jacket, “digitally penetrating” her while she slept. The woman was left paralysed in shock and panic upon waking.

The stranger then climbed on top of her, ”attempting to penetrate her with his p***s, which he was partially able to do,” according to the lawsuit. The woman mustered the strength to push him away, and he promptly returned to his seat, ending the assault.

Later, the attacker attempted to downplay the assault by offering the victim water while forcibly holding her hand, only stopping when he noticed a flight attendant approaching. The victim then woke her friend and reported the incident to a flight attendant, who relocated her to a different seat for the remainder of the flight.

Upon landing, the perpetrator was escorted off the plane, and authorities collected statements from the victim and witnesses. But it is ”unknown whether the Perpetrator was taken into custody and/or ever charged with the sexual assault of Plaintiff,” the lawsuit claimed.

”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,” the woman’s attorney, Brian Andris, told The Independent.

In an email, an American Airlines spokesperson said, “We are reviewing the lawsuit and the details of the flight. The safety and comfort of our customers is a top priority for Americans.”

The lawsuit alleged that the airline industry has been aware of the alarming increase in in-flight sexual assaults, with the FBI reporting 96 related cases in the previous year alone. The suit further emphasised that the victim bore no responsibility for the assault and that American Airlines had a clear duty to ensure her safety during the flight. 

”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.

Los Angeles:

A woman who says she was threatened with being kicked off a US Delta Air Lines flight because she was not wearing a bra demanded a meeting with the company’s top boss on Thursday over what she says is a discriminatory policy.

Lisa Archbold said she had on baggy jeans and a loose white t-shirt — with no bra — and claimed she was temporarily escorted off a flight by a female gate agent who demanded she cover up, even though her breasts were not visible.  

“It felt like a scarlet letter was being attached to me,” Archbold, 38, told reporters in Los Angeles about the January incident.

“I felt it was a spectacle aimed at punishing me for not being a woman in the way she thought I should be a woman as she scolded me outside of the plane.”

Archbold, a DJ who was flying from Salt Lake City in conservative Utah to the famously liberal San Francisco, claims the Delta agent said her attire was “revealing” and “offensive” and that airline policy was not to allow passengers dressed that way to travel.

But, the agent said, if she put a jacket over her t-shirt, she would be allowed to continue her journey.

Attorney Gloria Allred said she had written to Delta on behalf of Archbold demanding a meeting with the company’s president to discuss the discriminatory policy.

“Male passengers are not required to cover up their t-shirts with a shirt or a jacket,” she said.

“They also do not have to wear a bra to board or remain on a plane and women should not have to wear one either.

“Last I checked, the Taliban are not in charge of Delta.”

Allred said US federal rules allow airlines to remove passengers who present a safety or security risk to the plane or its passengers, but that was clearly not the case with Archbold.

“Neither her breasts nor any other woman’s breasts have ever tried to take over a plane,” she said.

“Breasts are not weapons of war, and it’s not a crime for a woman or girl to have them.”

Allred said there were currently no plans for a lawsuit and that all she and Archbold wanted was a meeting with Delta’s president to secure assurances their policies would be updated.

In response to AFP inquiries, a spokesperson for the company said: “Earlier this year, Delta representatives contacted this customer with an apology.”

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)