(LibertyInsider.org) – A woman, identified as “Jane Doe” in court documents, is suing United Airlines following an alleged assault by an intoxicated passenger on a flight from Orlando to Denver in October 2022. The 51-year-old traveler claims that the airline served excessive amounts of alcohol to the male passenger, who subsequently reportedly sexually assaulted her.
According to Doe, both she and the man were seated in the First Class section of the plane during the flight. The pair began chatting amicably shortly after taking off and continued to do so for at least half an hour. Unfortunately, that friendly camaraderie rapidly devolved when the man began pestering the flight crew to repeatedly bring him alcoholic drinks.
Doe says the “frustrated” attendants served the unruly passenger a total of nine servings of alcohol over six drinks within a short period of time. The “highly intoxicated assailant” then began attempting to violate her in a series of escalating sexual assaults.
According to Doe, the man first touched her back as she went to the bathroom. Shortly after, he placed his hand on her leg, which she immediately pushed away. Despite her protests and the man’s acknowledgment that “no means no,” he continued to harass her, eventually reaching under her shirt, groping her crotch, attempting to kiss her, and rubbing her chest.
Records show that the airline refunded the cost of the woman’s flight after the fact. But for Doe, that isn’t enough. She wants to know why the attendants served the man so much alcohol, why they neglected to check on him during the flight, and why he was permitted to spend nearly four hours pestering her before they landed.
Doe, who filed the lawsuit in Colorado District Court in mid-December, says the experience has left her suffering from anxiety, depression, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She’s asking United Airlines to pay compensatory damages for her suffering, holding them responsible for contributing to the drunken passenger’s lecherous behavior.
This isn’t the first time for an airline passenger to accuse an intoxicated traveler of sexual assault. A mother and her 16-year-old daughter sued Delta Airlines after a drunken traveler allegedly attempted to fondle the young girl during a flight from JFK to Athens in July 2023. The nearly $2 million lawsuit accused the flight crew of serving him at least 11 drinks.
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