American Airlines served 6 drinks to already-drunk passenger who raped woman in plane’s bathroom: Lawsuit

A Colorado woman recently filed a federal lawsuit accusing American Airlines of serving too much alcohol to a drunk passenger who sexually assaulted her during the June 2017 flight.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Aubrey Lane, 32, filed the lawsuit Wednesday where she accused the airline of failing in their duty to protect her and other passengers by not only allowing a visibly drunk man to board a redeye flight from Phoenix, Arizona, to New York but serving him six drinks while in transit. The lawsuit stated that the drunk passenger then followed Lane to the bathroom and raped her.

Both Lane and another passenger reportedly claimed the man harassed Lane throughout the flight. Airport police met Lane at the gate but the suspect wasn’t taken into custody. The case was referred to the FBI but no arrests have been made, according to the news outlet.

Lane reportedly called the incident to the company’s attention last year and an employee allegedly deemed it a “nuisance claim” and offered a $5,000 settlement. The Morning News reported the airline has since apologized for Lane’s treatment and announced the implementation of new protocol aimed at better handling instances of sexual misconduct.

In a statement issued to Fox News, American Airlines said they haven’t received the lawsuit but they plan to “thoroughly review” it when they do. The carrier also said protocol mandates that staff separate passengers involved in misconduct and contact law enforcement, who will ultimately determine if a crime occurred.

“We want all of our customers to have a safe, positive travel experience with us and we are deeply troubled by any allegation of misconduct onboard our aircraft or at any of our facilities. If our crews discover or are told about any alleged illegal misconduct that may occur on the aircraft, law enforcement is contacted and will meet the aircraft upon arrival,”

 

[Featured Image: Associated Press]