Drunk man groped 16-year-old, mother on 9-hour flight; staff ignored: Report | World News
A drunk man on Delta Air Lines groped a 16-year-old girl and her mother as the flight attendants “blatantly ignored” pleas for help, court documents allege. In the lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of New York, the complainant alleges that the airline staff continued to serve liquor to the male passenger even though he was visibly drunk, reported Fox News. The airline even allowed the drunk man to exit the plane in Athens without alerting the authorities about the alleged sexual assault.
The unidentified man was served at least 10 vodka drinks and a glass of wine on the nine-hour-long flight from New York to Athens.
The inebriated individual was seated next to the plaintiffs and allegedly attempted to engage in conversation with the 16-year-old. As the girl ignored him, according to the report, the man became aggressive towards her and started yelling. The complainant has claimed that the man asked for the girl’s personal information, including her address, and made “obscene gestures”.
When the girl’s mother intervened and informed him that her daughter was a minor still in high school, he callously disregarded her plea. He even reached over the girl and pulled on her mother’s arm, reported Fox News.
The man began shouting loudly at them and when the women reported the man’s drunken behaviour to the flight attendants, they were met with indifference and advised to “be patient”, according to the report.
The man allegedly continued touching the minor again while mumbling incoherently and forcefully kicking the seats in front of them.
Despite the repeated pleas from the mother-daughter duo, the head flight attendant only intervened by telling the man to cease communication with them. This angered the man who allegedly started abusing the victims. Seeking comfort, the terrified teenage girl buried her head in her mother’s lap, but to their dismay, the man allegedly took advantage of the situation by sliding his fingers under the girl’s shirt, attempting to grope her bra strap.
The teen, petrified, and in tears, quickly jumped out of her seat and distanced herself from the man, as mentioned in the lawsuit. The man went on to place his hand on the mother’s leg and allegedly moved his hand up the inside of her thigh. The woman screamed and also jumped out of her seat.
The mother again demanded to change their seats but the flight attendants feigned helplessness saying there was nothing they could do. However, another male passenger volunteered to switch seats with the teen girl and sat between the intoxicated man and her mother for the rest of the flight, reported Fox News.
After the landing, the flight attendants offered the woman and her daughter 5,000 free airline miles and an apology.
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