A woman has sued American Airlines, claiming she was sexually assaulted on a domestic flight last year by a man previously reported to the airline for sexual abuse allegations.
Barbara Morgan, of California, says she was sexually assaulted on a April 24, 2024, red-eye flight from San Francisco to Dallas, according to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California last week.
The suit accuses American Airlines of putting profits over passenger safety and that her alleged assailant, Cherian Abraham, was allowed to fly even though the airline had a notice of a 2023 sexual assault charge against him, the suit said.
Even after reporting the assault, Morgan said she was left traumatized when the airline allegedly ignored her and victim-blamed her.
An attorney for Abraham did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment. American Airlines said Thursday that Abraham will no longer be allowed to fly with the airline.
“The safety of our customers and team members is our highest priority. We take this matter very seriously and are working closely with law enforcement on its investigation,” the airline said in a statement.
The suit states that Morgan took the flight for a trip to celebrate her son’s new job and home in Dallas.
She was placed in a middle seat next to Abraham, who was “previously reported to American Airlines for allegations of sexual abuse against a female passenger,” according to a news release by her attorneys, Romanucci & Blandin.
He allegedly sexually assaulted her during the flight as the cabin lights were dimmed and she yelled at him to “stop” twice, the lawsuit says.
However, no American Airlines employee intervened or made an effort to investigate the incident. It unfolded as most passengers were asleep, wearing headphones, or were unaware of the assault, the lawsuit says.
She reported the abuse as soon as she got off the plane and pointed out her assailant, the lawsuit says. But instead of getting help, she felt rebuffed.
“The American Airlines gate agent engaged in victim-blaming, questioning why Plaintiff had not taken further action to report the assault during the flight,” the lawsuit says.
Morgan explained that she was scared he’d retaliate against her, that it was challenging to report the assault while confined to her seat and that she was afraid the plane might be rerouted, potentially angering other passengers, the lawsuit says.
The gate agent stated that there was nothing they could do and advised Morgan to file a complaint on their website. The lawsuit states that she made the complaint on the same day and received a generic response indicating that someone would follow up, but no one did.
On April 30, 2024, she submitted a complaint to the Director of Customer Relations, Vice President of Reservations and Service Recovery, and the CEO of American Airlines. She again received an automated response, but “no meaningful engagement or support,” according to the lawsuit.
In May, a representative of American Airlines contacted Morgan by phone, and the representative allegedly again “shifted blame onto her for not reporting it while still in the air,” the lawsuit says.
Morgan only learned that Abraham had prior reports of sexual violence on an American Airlines flight when the FBI contacted her and said he was charged, her attorneys said.
In March this year, Abraham was charged with one federal count of abusive sexual contact out of the Western District of Washington “for his subsequent sexual assault of another American Airlines female passenger,” the lawsuit said. That unwanted touching incident unfolded on March 18.
The charge referenced previous sexual assaults on flights by Abraham, including Morgan’s, and noted the first report was made in 2023 before Morgan’s flight.
Morgan’s lawsuit was filed against American Airlines and Abraham. It accuses the airline of negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and fraudulent concealment. It also accuses Abraham of sexual battery, gender violence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
“The FBI and American Airlines passengers have repeatedly warned the airline that inflight sexual assaults are occurring on American Airlines flights—and American Airlines has had every opportunity to take those warnings seriously. Instead, they’ve turned a blind eye, leaving passengers vulnerable at 30,000 feet. This isn’t just a failure of policy; it’s a failure of basic responsibility,” Patrick J. Driscoll, an attorney for Morgan, said in a Wednesday statement.
Driscoll added: “American Airlines must stop ignoring the alarm bells and take immediate, decisive action to protect its passengers like Barbara Morgan.”
