Southwest Airlines failed to protect minors from in-flight sexual assault – NBC Chicago

Warning: This story contains graphic details of an alleged sexual assault.

A lawsuit filed this week in California accuses Southwest Airlines of failing to protect a child from sexual assault during a July 2022 flight, documents show.

According to the lawsuit, the sexual assault occurred on July 4, 2022, on a connecting flight from Las Vegas to Portland, after a 16-year-old was separated from his parents and placed between two adult men.

The indictment states that the perpetrator, a tall man around 50 years old, boarded the plane “visibly drunk” and smelling of alcohol. The attack began shortly after the cabin lights were dimmed.

At this point, the offender grabbed the teen’s leg several times and touched his thigh and groin area. The offender also attempted to kiss him while making lewd comments, the indictment states.

The attack then escalated when the perpetrator grabbed the teen’s stomach, reached into his waistband and attempted to touch his anus. Despite the teen’s attempts to push away, the attack continued throughout the flight, according to the lawsuit.

After arriving in Portland, the teenager immediately reported the attack to his parents and Portland police, who began an investigation.

The lawsuit filed by Greenberg Gross LLP accuses Southwest Airlines of negligence, saying the incident was “entirely foreseeable” due to the Fourth of July holiday, the perpetrator’s visible intoxication and the departure from Las Vegas.

The plaintiff commented on the pending litigation as follows:

“The reason I’m here talking about all this is because there are many other people who suffer from the same anxiety and fear that I feel every day. I want them to know that something can be done about it. Something needs to be done to make sure children are safe.“

A Southwest Airlines spokesperson responded to a request for comment from NBC Chicago that the airline “cannot comment on the pending litigation at this time.”

No further information is currently available.