Indian-American man at centre of sexual assault lawsuit against American Airlines
An Indian-American man with a record of in-flight sexual misconduct is at the center of a federal lawsuit filed against American Airlines — and the woman bringing the case says the airline knowingly let it happen. Barbara Morgan says what was supposed to be a routine overnight flight from San Francisco to Dallas in April 2024 turned into a nightmare when she was seated next to Cherian Abraham, a Texas resident with multiple prior complaints against him for inappropriately touching fellow passengers.advertisement'He touched me multiple times in the darkened cabin. I shouted at him to stop,' Morgan recounted in the federal complaint filed this week. 'But the crew did nothing.'Morgan, represented by the Chicago law firm Romanucci & Blandin, is suing the airline for negligence. The lawsuit alleges that the airline knowingly allowed a passenger, Abraham, who had a documented history of similar troubling behavior, to board the flight without notifying Morgan or other passengers. According to the suit, this prior record should have prevented Abraham from flying in the first place.
After the flight, Morgan says she approached a gate agent to report the assault. Instead of help, she got what she describes as a dismissive reaction.'They asked why I hadn't spoken up mid-flight and told me to file an online complaint,' she said.advertisementMorgan says she followed up multiple times, even emailing top American Airlines executives. Her reward? A form-letter response — and, when a real person did reply, she says the airline blamed her for not doing more during the incident.In March 2025, Abraham was arrested and charged with abusive sexual contact after allegedly groping another woman on a separate American Airlines flight — this time from Los Angeles to Chicago.That case cited Morgan's ordeal, as well as another alleged assault on a Minneapolis-bound flight in October 2023. Federal investigators now say Abraham shows 'a pattern of predatory behaviour.'American Airlines only banned Abraham after his March 2025 arrest. 'The safety of our customers and team members is our highest priority,' the airline said in a statement. 'We take this matter very seriously and are working closely with law enforcement on its investigation.'Abraham has pleaded not guilty. According to court filings, he told investigators any physical contact on the plane was 'accidental.'Still, Morgan says her experience points to a broader failure. 'The airline could've prevented this. Instead, they let a known predator sit next to me in the dark.'Must Watch
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Handcuffed, pinned to floor: The row over Indian student's ordeal at US airport
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Now, the Indian Embassy in New York has responded, saying that they had seen social media posts about an Indian national facing trouble at Newark Liberty International Airport. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What happened during the incident? Do we know why he was being treated the way the video shows? What did the witness, Kunal, say about it? And how did the Indian consulate in New York respond? Let's get you the answers to these questions and more. What happened? The viral video shows an Indian student being handcuffed and pinned down by officials at a US airport. Kunal Jain posted a photo of the student on X, saying he was being deported from Newark Airport last night. According to him, the student was in tears and was treated like a criminal by the authorities. I witnessed a young Indian student being deported from Newark Airport last night— handcuffed, crying, treated like a criminal. He came chasing dreams, not causing harm. As an NRI, I felt helpless and heartbroken. This is a human tragedy. @IndianEmbassyUS #immigrationraids — Kunal Jain (@SONOFINDIA) June 8, 2025 'As an NRI, I felt helpless and heartbroken. This is a human tragedy,' Jain wrote on X. Jain, who is the President of HealthBots AI, said the student spoke in Haryanvi. 'I could recognise his accent where he was saying 'I'm not insane, these people are trying to make me look insane',' he added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Jain expressed concern over the situation, saying the student was 'crying, treated like a criminal' and had come to the US 'chasing dreams, not causing harm'. Here more videos and @IndianEmbassyUS need to help here. This poor guy was speaking in Haryanvi language. I could recognise his accent where he was saying 'में पागल नहीं हूँ , ये लोग मुझे पागल साबित करने में लगे हुए हे' — Kunal Jain (@SONOFINDIA) June 8, 2025 He also said that similar cases have been happening recently. 'These children get their visas and get on a flight in the morning. For some reason, they are unable to explain the reason for their visit to the immigration authorities and are sent back on the evening flight tied up like criminals. Every day 3-4 such cases are happening. There have been more such cases in the last few days,' he wrote. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He urged the Indian Embassy in the US to look into the incident and help the student. He also tagged the Indian Embassy and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in his post. In an article for The New Indian Express, Jain recalled that the man, who appeared to be a student, said in Hindi, 'Main pagal nahi hoon… yeh log mujhe pagal sabit karna chahte hain' ('I'm not mad… they're trying to prove I'm mentally unstable'). This poor kids parent won't know what's happening to him. @IndianEmbassyUS @DrSJaishankar he was to be boarded last night in the same flight with me but he never got boarded. Someone needs to find out what's going on with him at New Jersey authorities. I found him disoriented. — Kunal Jain (@SONOFINDIA) June 8, 2025 He added that the man looked frightened and confused, and his desperate plea to be understood was deeply disturbing. What was the reason? Here's what the witness said In a conversation with CNN-News18, Jain said that even terrorists are not treated publicly like that in the United States. He said, 'I remember exactly, a pilot came out and said he couldn't take the risk of bringing this boy onto the plane because he might be a threat to other passengers. Now think about it, all of this was happening in his head… I mean, I felt so bad.' Regarding a possible reason why the security forces acted the way they did, Kunal said they believed the student was agitated. 'So they felt that in order to control him, they had to force him down, pin him to the ground. My only point is that there were enough Indians there. They could have called the Indian embassy, they could have provided legal help, they could have brought in a counsellor, or even a linguistic counsellor who could speak his language.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He further said, 'Nowadays, if you don't have a visa, they don't allow you in. So he was allowed at the entry, but probably interviewed there.' After the entire incident, he said, 'I boarded the plane and asked one of the hostesses. She told me, 'We see three to four such cases every day.'' 'If people do not retaliate or become violent, then they are sent back to India. But if, for any reason, they become aggressive, this is what happens,' he said. ALSO READ | Why Trump is offering $1,000 to migrants to 'self-deport' from US How Indian Embassy reacted to the incident The Indian Consulate in New York responded to the incident after the video and posts gained attention online. The consulate confirmed that they had reached out to local authorities. 'We have come across social media posts claiming that an Indian national is facing difficulties at Newark Liberty International Airport. We are in touch with local authorities in this regard,' the Consulate General of India in New York posted on X. We have come across social media posts claiming that an Indian national is facing difficulties at Newark Liberty International Airport. We are in touch with local authorities in this regard. The Consulate remains ever committed for the welfare of Indian Nationals.@MEAIndia… — India in New York (@IndiainNewYork) June 9, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The Consulate remains ever committed for the welfare of Indian Nationals.' Trump administration's crackdown on international students This incident comes at a time when the US government has stepped up its action against international students , with many visas being cancelled without warning. The reasons behind the deportations have differed, from joining pro-Palestine protests to minor traffic offences, leaving many students caught in legal trouble and uncertainty. According to India's Ministry of External Affairs, since Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, the US has deported around 1,080 Indian nationals. The latest case has also reminded many of earlier deportations that caused public outrage. In February, a video released by the US Border Patrol showed over 100 Indians being sent back, with their hands cuffed and legs chained.
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