Airline passenger files lawsuit alleging she suffered sexual assault aboard a flight at the hands of a man previously accused of similar misconduct.
Fresh Take:
A California woman has taken American Airlines to task, asserting she was sexually assaulted on a 2024 flight by a man with a history of similar misconduct on the airline. Barbara Morgan, the plaintiff, filed a lawsuit last week in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging negligence, among other charges.
The suit accuses American Airlines of prioritizing profits over passenger safety by allowing Cherian Abraham, the alleged assailant, to fly even with previous reports of sexual abuse against him, according to Morgan's lawyers from Romanucci & Blandin.
Morgan, originally aboard for a celebration of her son's new job and home in Dallas, was seated next to Abraham, who had a documented history of alleged sexually inappropriate behavior on American Airlines. During the flight from San Francisco to Dallas, Abraham, as the cabin lights were dimmed, allegedly sexually assaulted Morgan twice amidst oblivious passengers or those unaware of the incident.
Upon landing, Morgan immediately reported the assault and pointed out her attacker, but claims she was met with questioning and victim-blaming by American Airlines staff. Perturbed, she explained her fear of retaliation and the difficulty of reporting the crime in-flight, as well as her concern about potentially antagonizing other passengers if the flight was diverted.
However, her complaint was met with indifference, as no one from American Airlines took meaningful action, and she didn't receive a follow-up, the lawsuit states.
It's worth noting that Morgan's case is not an isolated instance. Cherian Abraham has been connected to multiple assaults on female passengers across different flights[1][2][3], suggesting a pattern of behavior.
Recently, Abraham was charged with abusive sexual contact out of the Western District of Washington[4]. The charge points out prior sexual assaults on American Airlines flights, including Morgan's, and an assault on a 22-year-old woman on a flight from Chicago to Seattle in 2023[4].
"American Airlines has repeatedly been warned about inflight sexual assaults, yet they've turned a blind eye," said Patrick J. Driscoll, Morgan's attorney. He called on the airline to take immediate action to safeguard passengers like Barbara Morgan[5].
While American Airlines has placed Abraham on a no-fly list, it remains to be seen whether they will address the systemic issues highlighted by Morgan's lawsuit.
Additional Insights:
- Inflight sexual assaults have become a growing concern, as incidents involving the same perpetrator suggest a lack of effective protocols or communication among airlines.
- Attempts to report such incidents are often met with indifference or a lack of adequate response, causing frustration and people to question airline safety.
- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has recently tried to address this issue by working with airlines to bolster safety measures and develop new guidelines for addressing passenger complaints and in-flight misconduct.
- Airline passengers are advised to be cautious, report any inappropriate behavior immediately, and document the incident to facilitate investigations and help prevent further harm.
[1] https://abcnews.go.com/Travel/wireStory/texas-man-charged-assaulting-woman-american-flight-seattle-84104904
[2] https://www.cbs4indy.com/news/man-accused-of-inappropriate-behavior-on-airplanes-has-received-reassignment-from-a-military-base-near-indy/
[3] https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-american-airlines-failed-to-keep-a-sexual-assaulter-off-the-flights
[4] https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/federal-grand-jury-indicts-man-alleged-in-flight-assaults-across-country
[5] https://romanucci.com/barbara-morgan-files-suit-against-american-airlines-for-failing-to-protect-passenger-from-repeated-sexual-abuser/
- The plaintiff, Barbara Morgan, claimed that American Airlines prioritized funding over passenger safety by allowing a man with a history of sexual misconduct, Cherian Abraham, to continue flying.
- In the general-news category, there has been a warning about the infliction of sexual assaults on American Airlines flights, with cases like Barbara Morgan's being just one example among many.
- The politics surrounding airline safety have come into question, as the repeated instances of in-flight sexual assaults highlighted by Morgan's lawsuit suggest a lack of effective protocols or communication among airlines.
- Crime-and-justice reports indicate that Cherian Abraham, the man accused of sexually assaulting Barbara Morgan, has been charged with abusive sexual contact out of the Western District of Washington for prior sexual assaults on American Airlines flights.
