Taylor Swift fan sues Delta Air Lines after being sexually harassed by mechanic during flight

• A Taylor Swift fan is suing Delta Air Lines after she was sexually harassed on a flight.

• The lawsuit was also directed against the perpetrator, a Delta mechanic.

• Officials warned that such incidents are becoming increasingly common.

A woman is suing Delta Air Lines after she was sexually harassed on a flight last year.

The woman was on a plane returning from a Taylor Swift concert from Phoenix to Seattle when the incident occurred, according to a press release from the law firm Mark Lindquist Law, which is representing the victim in the area of ​​aviation and personal injury.

The lawsuit was filed in King County, Washington, against Delta and the perpetrator, who was working as a mechanic for Delta at the time of the incident, Newsweek reported.

Duane Brick, 53, pleaded guilty to sexual abuse in March, admitting that he took the victim’s hand and placed it on his crotch during the flight, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.

According to prosecutors, he also reached under her shirt and groped her breast while she appeared to be sleeping. Brick now faces up to two years in prison.

The new lawsuit states: “As a transportation carrier, Delta has a duty of care and is legally obligated to ensure that passengers, including the plaintiff, have a safe flight that is free from unauthorized and abusive sexual contact with other passengers, including Delta’s own employees.”

It alleges that flight crew “served Mr. Brick too much alcohol, failed to adequately train staff on sexual assault prevention and response, and failed to adequately monitor the cabin and protect passengers.”

It goes on to say that the victim and a witness reported the incident to staff, but Brick was allowed to remain in his seat for an additional 15 minutes.

“Everyone should feel safe falling asleep on an airplane without the risk of being groped and sexually assaulted,” said Lindquist, the victim’s attorney.

“Airlines can and should do more to stop these gross violations,” he added.

Business Insider has asked Delta for comment.

Delta is facing another lawsuit from the family of a 13-year-old girl who was also sexually abused on a flight.

The lawsuit states that Delta staff “enabled” the assault by allowing the “visibly intoxicated” perpetrator, Brian Patrick Durning, to board the plane and serving him alcohol throughout.

A Delta spokesman said the company would not comment on pending litigation but had “zero tolerance for unlawful conduct on flights and at airports.”

Sexual assaults on airplanes are increasing in the USA

US Attorney Tessa Gorman said that “the Western District of Washington continues to experience an alarming increase in cases of sexual abuse on board aircraft.”

“Last August, we stressed that we have zero tolerance for such attacks. Unfortunately, we continue to receive new allegations and are investigating these cases and filing charges,” she added.

In fact, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington pointed to two other incidents in March that occurred within its jurisdiction.

A 38-year-old Indian national has been charged with sexual assault for attacking a teenager sitting next to him on an Emirates flight to Seattle.

Meanwhile, 69-year-old Jack Roberson pleaded guilty to simple assault for having contact with a 15-year-old girl sitting next to him on a flight from Atlanta to Seattle in July 2023. Roberson faces up to one year in prison when he is sentenced on June 5, 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said March 8.

Sexual assaults on board airplanes are also on the rise nationwide; the FBI noted a “disturbing increase” in incidents last year.

It said that 62 cases would be investigated in the first half of 2023, compared to 27 in the whole of 2018.

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