Delta Airlines sued as drunk passenger sexually assaults mom & teen daughter

A $2 million lawsuit has been filed against Delta Airlines after a man sexually assaulted a mother and her teenage daughter during a nine-hour flight in the US, according to Fox Business.

The lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of New York, claimsthat a man on the flight was served at least 10 vodka drinks and a glass of wine whilehe groped a 16-year-old girl and slid hands under the mother's clothes.

"The intoxicated Delta passenger appeared to be getting drunker and drunker as the Delta flight attendants continued serving him alcohol," the complaint states.

It added that Delta flight attendants "blatantly ignored" the pleas for help by the mother who wanted the intoxicated male to be escorted out to a different place.

The incident took place on the July 26 flight where the unidentified man claimed that he was from Connecticut. According to court documents, after getting drunk, the man started making obscene gestures and started harassing the minor by asking for her personal information including her address.

After being told by the mother that the girl was a minor, the man said he did not care and proceeded to reach over the 16-year-old to grab at the mother’s arm. At this point, the mother had pleaded to the flight attendants multiple times to do the needful but all she received was a "be patient" remark, the complaint read.

“What happened to them during a flight was not just a nightmare, it was completely preventable,” Evan Brustein, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs' told New York Post.

Soon after, the teen began having a panic attack as she sunk her head in her mother's lap after the man inserted his 'clammy fingers' underneath her shirt and touched the clasp on her bra strap, the filing revealed.

The terrified teenager jumped out of the seat but the man proceeded to put his hand on the mother's leg and proceeded to move it inside of her thigh, prompting her to jump out of the seat as well.

While flight attendants failed to take action, a good samaritan offered to switch seats with the teen and sat between the man and the mother for the remainder of the trip.

After landing, the Delta crew allegedly allowed the drunk man to exit the plane without alerting the police and offered the mother and daughter 5,000 airline miles as an apology.

Delta declined to comment on the lawsuit but insisted it “has zero tolerance for customers who engage in inappropriate or unlawful behaviour.”

"Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and our people," the airline told Fox.

Other instances

Notably, this is not the first instance when Delta Airlines has made headlines this year. Last month, a 61-year-old Delta pilot was arrested at Edinburgh Airport 30 minutes before his flight for being under the influence of alcohol.

According to reports, the pilot was arrested after his blood alcohol level was found above the legal limit of 0.02, set under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003. After the arrest, the flight to New York was cancelled and the passengers re-accommodated.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE: