A woman has filed a lawsuit against American Airlines, alleging that a cabin crew member dismissed her complaints after a male passenger masturbated next to her for nearly an hour during a flight.
Neel Elsherif, CEO of multiple companies including luxury vegan leather brand Mela, claims the incident occurred on a May 27 journey from New York’s JFK Airport to Milan. According to the lawsuit filed in Brooklyn Federal Court, the man – identified only as “John Doe” – was drunk after consuming multiple glasses of champagne. Ms Elsherif noticed him rubbing his groin over his pants before the situation escalated, The NY Post reported, citing the legal filing.
As the cabin lights dimmed, John Doe allegedly continued masturbating for about 60 minutes. “John Doe continued to masturbate . . . and during that time neither the Flight Attendant nor another AA crew member walked through the Premium Economy cabin,” the lawsuit says. Frozen in her seat, Ms Elsherif feared for her safety and hoped a crew member would intervene.
When the man finally stopped, Ms Elsherif reported the misconduct to a flight attendant – only to be met with indifference, she claims. The lawsuit says the crew member told her there was “nothing really that [she] could do” and suggested she move to coach instead.
Ms Elsherif, who had paid over $3,000 (over Rs 2.5 lakh) for her seat, protested. The flight attendant allegedly responded, “Men just do stuff like that,” adding that her own husband “did stuff like that” as well.
“The flight crew failed to report the incident and did not even speak to John Doe,” the legal filing reads.
Ms Elsherif, who is of Arab and Middle Eastern descent, also alleges racial bias in the airline’s handling of the situation. She claims that because she is an Arab woman, her report was not treated as a case of sexual assault, as per People Magazine.
“The flight attendant gave John Doe preferential treatment over [her] and treated John Doe’s safety, comfort, and convenience more importantly than [hers], because John Doe is a white male,” the lawsuit states.
After moving to coach, Ms Elsherif says she saw the same flight attendant continuing to serve John Doe champagne and engaging in friendly conversation with him.
Her attorneys are seeking damages for negligence, discrimination, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
American Airlines, in a statement to People Magazine, said, “American strives to provide a positive experience to everyone who travels with us. We are reviewing the allegations of the complaint.”