American Airlines ‘blamed' mom who was sexually assaulted by known serial predator: lawsuit
A California mom claims American Airlines 'victim-blamed' her and refused to help after she was sexually assaulted by a known serial airplane groper, according to a new lawsuit.
Barbara Morgan said she was sexually assaulted on April 24, 2024, by Cherian Abraham, 55, during a flight from San Francisco to Dallas, according to the lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California.
Morgan alleges that despite Abraham being a known risk to women on red-eye flights — overnight trips where the cabin is dark — American Airlines allowed him to continue flying and assault more women, NBC News reported.
3 Barbara Morgan, of California, says she was sexually assaulted by a serial groper in 2024.
WMAQ NBC
'American's decisions and actions directly led to her sexual assault, and then further traumatized her by ignoring her complaints after the attack,' her attorneys at Romanucci & Blandin said Wednesday.
'American Airlines allowed this predator to fly and to assault another woman after Barbara Morgan, until the FBI stepped in, and he was criminally charged.'
Morgan's nightmare began when she boarded the Dallas-bound flight to visit her son and celebrate his new job and home in the Texas city.
During the flight, Abraham allegedly began touching Morgan several times, including between her legs, as she yelled at him to stop.
3 Despite Morgan's complaint, the groper was allowed on a future American Airlines flight where he allegedly molested another woman.
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Morgan's lawyers say she froze in the face of the trauma as no one came to her aid, with the horrified woman seeking help after the plane landed.
American Airlines allegedly dismissed Morgan on multiple occasions, 'victim-blaming' her and telling her that she shouldn't have waited to get help, the lawsuit states.
Morgan said she was scared to get help at the moment, fearing retaliation from Abraham or that she would anger other passengers if the incident caused the plane to be rerouted.
3 The 2024 incident occurred during a red-eye flight, when the cabin lights are off inside a plane.
Surachetsh – stock.adobe.com
American Airlines said Abraham has been banned from flying with the company following his arrest in March.
'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.
Abraham was taken into custody following a federal investigation over an incident that occurred on March 18 aboard American Airlines Flight 2076, where a woman claimed he groped her breast twice.
He was charged with one count of abusive sexual conduct, with the investigation finding that along with the two cases, Abraham was also accused of groping another woman on a Minneapolis flight in Oct. 2023.
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