A 26-year-old Oregon man has been accused of groping an unaccompanied teenage girl onboard an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Portland.
According to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court, the male passenger groped the girl, touching her upper leg and genital area, whilst sitting next to her on the flight.
The complaint also said that a flight attendant handing out snacks during the flight noticed the man’s hand near the girl’s crotch. She also noticed a tear coming down the girl’s cheek, and that’s when she ordered the man to change seats.
Before sitting next to the girl, the male passenger was told there were other seats available in the plane. But he decided to sit next to the 13-year-old girl instead.
The parents of the girl have filed a USD $10 million lawsuit against the airline on the grounds that they did not keep her safe. They are arguing that the extra $150 they paid for their unaccompanied child should have meant that she would be safe at all times.
According to airline policy, the extra fee ensures “your child is boarded onto the aircraft, introduced to the flight attendant, chaperoned during connections and released to the appropriate person at their destination.”
But this didn’t happen for their child, according to the parents, and the lawsuit states that “during the flight, American provided [the girl] with no supervision, monitoring or enhanced level of safety different or apart from what it gave an adult passenger.”
Responding to the lawsuit, American Airlines has said in a statement that “American cares deeply about our young passengers and is committed to providing a safe and pleasant travel experience for them. We take these matters very seriously and have cooperated fully and immediately with law enforcement officials in their investigation of the suspect.”
The case continues.