Drunk Man Accused of Sexual Assault on 9

Delta Airlines is currently faced with a $2 million lawsuit after a drunk man was accused of sexually assaulting a mother and her teenage daughter during a 9-hour flight to Athens, Greece. (Photo: AP Photo/David Goldman)

Delta Airlines is currently being sued for $2 million for “gross negligence” after a drunk man was accused of verbally harassing and sexually assaulting a mother and her teenage daughter on a nine-hour flight to Athens, Greece.

Despite the pleas from both victims, flight attendants refused to relocate the two women to different seats and continued to serve the man 10 vodka drinks and a glass of wine, according to an article in Fox Business.

“The intoxicated Delta passenger appeared to be getting drunker and drunker as the Delta flight attendants continued serving him alcohol,” the lawsuit claims.

The man’s behavior continued to escalate during the July 26, 2022 flight, and the mother and daughter say he verbally harassed and groped them. The lawsuit claims the unidentified man made “obscene gestures” at both plaintiffs and demanded the daughter give him personal information, like her home address, according to legal documents obtained by Fox Business.

The daughter was just 16 years old.

When her mother told the drunk man she was a minor, the intoxicated individual told her he did not care, and reached over the 16-year-old to grab at the mother’s arm. The mother says she raised complaints to the Delta flight attendants and informed them that she and her daughter were feeling unsafe, but instead of helping her, she says the attendants ignored her pleas and told her to “be patient.”

Eventually, the head Delta flight attendant got involved and told the man to stop speaking with the plaintiffs.

He angrily responded and yelled profanities at the mother and teen, calling them “f—ing bitches,” according to the lawsuit.

The 16-year-old began to have a panic attack, putting her head in her mother’s lap, and the man responded by putting his “clammy fingers” underneath her shirt and touching a clasp on her bra strap, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges the terrified and trembling young girl recoiled and jumped out of her seat, moving away from her attacker. He proceeded by putting his hand on her mother’s leg and “moved it up the inside of her thigh,” the lawsuit claims, according to People. The mother responded by jumping out of her seat, as well.

After the alleged sexual assault, the mother requested the flight attendant allow them to change seats.

The flight attendant responded by telling them there was “nothing they could do.”

A different male passenger offered to switch seats with the flight attendant team and sat between the mother and the man for the remainder of the trip.

When the flight was over, the Delta staff allowed the drunk man to leave the plane and did not alert local authorities or U.S. law enforcement about the incident, according to the lawsuit. Instead, the lawsuit claims they offered the mother and daughter 5,000 airline miles as an apology.

Delta has not commented on the specifics of the lawsuit but told Fox Business that the company “has zero tolerance for customers who engage in inappropriate or unlawful behavior,” adding that “nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and our people.”

Intoxicated individuals causing a scene or engaging in aggressive behavior continues to be a problem. In April 2022, a Delta passenger was arrested by the FBI after making homophobic comments and striking a flight attendant who refused to serve him more alcohol.

In the past two years, intoxicated airline passengers have attacked flight attendants on multiple occasions, including one who grabbed an attendant by the throat. Earlier this month, two men were kicked off a plane for swearing and joking about bombs. One claimed his actions were caused by drinking a bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey.

In December 2021, a senator from Massachusetts called for airlines to ban alcohol on flights during the pandemic, as many drunk passengers angry about mask mandates had caused issues on flights.

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Cynthia Mersten is a writer/editor for Whiskey Raiders and has worked in the Beverage Industry for eight years. She started her career in wine and spirits distribution and sold brands like Four Roses, High West and Compass Box to a variety of bars and restaurants in the city she calls home: Los Angeles. Cynthia is a lover of all things related to wine, spirits and story and holds a BA from UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film and Television. Besides writing, her favorite pastimes are photography and watching movies with her husband.