Woman sues American Airlines after being sexual assaulted on a flight

Woman sues American Airlines for midflight sex assault

A woman is suing American Airlines after she says she was assaulted by a man on the flight. Barbara Morgan says the man had already been accused of assaulting another woman on a flight but was still allowed to fly.

A woman is suing American Airlines after she says she was assaulted by a man on the flight. Barbara Morgan says the man had already been accused of assaulting another woman on a flight but was still allowed to fly.

Morgan claims she was sexually assaulted by a man sitting next to her on an American Airlines red-eye flight from San Francisco to Dallas in April of last year. 

Morgan spoke for the first time on Wednesday and is not the only woman accusing the suspect of sexual misconduct on flights. 

Abraham's previous accusations

Last month, 54-year-old Cherian Abraham was arrested by the FBI for allegedly groping a 22-year-old woman on an American Airlines flight from Chicago to Seattle. 

Federal authorities have not provided a mugshot of Abraham.

The FBI says Abraham has, twice before, allegedly touched fellow passengers inappropriately. 

The first case was on an American flight in October 2023, but the victim chose not to pursue charges. 

The second case was in April of last year when Morgan said she was attacked.

American Airlines lawsuit

Morgan’s attorneys held a press call on Wednesday announcing a lawsuit against Abraham and American Airlines. 

Her legal team says American Airlines was already aware of the 2023 allegation before Morgan was assaulted.

What they're saying:

Morgan says she was too shocked to immediately notify a flight-crew member, but she spoke with an employee working at the gate desk after getting off the plane.

"I told her, that man, that man had just assaulted me. He touched me, and he violated me on the flight," said Morgan. "They made me feel like I was the problem."

Morgan says she filed multiple complaints with the airline but believes it was not properly addressed.

"Telling me that it was my responsibility while in the air. That I had that responsibility, and now it was his word against my word," said Morgan. "This lawsuit is about forcing American Airlines to take every report of sexual assault seriously."

American Airlines statement

American Airlines deferred questions from FOX 4 to law enforcement. Only issuing a brief statement reading:

"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."