She Says She Was Assaulted Mid-flight. Now She's Suing American Airlines For Negligence.

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A woman has filed a lawsuit against American Airlines, alleging that the airline's negligence allowed a passenger with a known history of misconduct to sexually assault her on a flight last year, according to Chicago law firm Romanucci & Blandin.

The woman, identified as Barbara Morgan, was a passenger on a red-eye flight from San Francisco to Dallas last April. She was planning to visit her son to celebrate his new job. According to the law firm, the carrier assigned Morgan to seat 28B, a middle seat, next to Cherian Abraham, a corporate professional from Texas.

Morgan was unaware at the time of Abraham having previously been charged with abusive sexual conduct for "repeated illegal touching" of female passengers next to him, according to the Department of Justice. This past March, he was arrested for groping a 22-year-old on a flight from Chicago to Seattle, but reports of his misconduct date back to 2023.

Her lawyers allege that when the cabin lights dimmed, Abraham began to touch Morgan inappropriately. "Barbara yelled, 'Stop!' However, no one from the flight crew came to her aid," the release states. "Most passengers were asleep or wearing headphones. In a state of shock, Barbara froze, uncertain how to protect herself, and feared the escalation of the situation, not knowing what this man might do."

Feeling "trapped," Morgan waited until the plane landed in Dallas, where she told a gate agent about the incident and identified Abraham. The agent allegedly blamed Morgan for not saying something during the flight. "The gate agent ultimately said there was nothing they could do and told Barbara to file a complaint on their website," the release said.

Barbara filed a written complaint and received a generic response, and said there was no follow-up. She also reached out to the American Airlines’ Director of Customer Relations, Vice President of Reservations and Service Recovery and the CEO of American Airlines along with American Airlines Customer Relations.

Their lack of initiative led Barbara to feel "deep shame, frustration, anger, sadness and fear."

Morgan is suing American Airlines for allowing Abraham to fly despite his records of sexual assault, along with ignoring her complaints. "There must be accountability for the systemic failure at American that exposed unknowing passengers to a predator," the release said.

American Airlines told USA TODAY in an email statement that Abraham has been banned from all future flights. "The safety of our customers and team members is our highest priority," the airline said. "We take this matter very seriously and are working closely with law enforcement on its investigation."

The FBI continues to investigate Abraham. Sexual misconduct is a federal crime punishable by up to two years in prison, according to the DOJ.

The FBI has warned against sexual assault on planes due to the enclosed environment and limited personal space. During red eyes, the cabins are dark. Last year, the FBI investigated 104 sexual assault cases that happened onboard aircrafts, with the consideration that the number could be higher based on what's not reported.

"A flight can give an appearance of being safe and secure and almost even an intimate setting that affords an attacker a sense of power or a sense of closeness that is not actually there. But these are all strangers," said FBI Special Agent Greg Tarbert in an FBI Q&A.

If you need help, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) to be connected with a trained provider in your area.