NationStates Jolt Archive

A 21-year-old Harris County woman filed a $200,000 lawsuit against American Airlines alleging employees on a flight to Los Angeles from Dallas/Fort Worth Airport failed to protect her while she slept from another passenger who masturbated to her and ejaculated in her hair, according to a lawsuit she filed last week in Tarrant County.
http://startelegram.typepad.com/sky_talk/2008/03/woman-files-law.html

Commentary includes:
That story is SO hot!

At least he could have bought her a drink first, but a cheap date is hard to find these days.

This is obviously terrible and the man should be prosecuted. But it's a bit much to blame the airline for this. It could have just as easily been a man assigned to that seat. It's not right to just sue a company because they have deep pockets.
The masturbating moron is to blame here - not the airline. America is way too lawsuit happy. Since when are airlines responsible to make sure the guy next to you doesn't ejaculate in your hair? If he's hiding it under a blanket or something there's nothing you can really do.

in this day and age if you're gonna fall asleep in a room full of strangers and not stay alert you yourself are not affording yourself due diligence. somehow we all have alarming encounters with the human race but have the decency not to involve shyster lawyers at every turn. we should sue this coed for foisting shyst expectations on the public at large. after all we'll all have to pay in increased insurance liability rates! probably every one on the planet has had to deal with some sexual affront or another in their life time. i got an idea, let's sue God almighty himself. Life and breath are just too much! this lady needs to get a life and grow up!!!!!!!!!

So, does one have a reasonable expectation not to be subjecteds to criminal assaults while using a "public" facility such as an airline?

Or do the creeps replying to this have a point?

So, does one have a reasonable expectation not to be subjecteds to criminal assaults while using a "public" facility such as an airline?

Or do the creeps replying to this have a point?The airline is obliged to provide a certain modicum of security, if I am not much mistaken.

People do have a reasonable expectation not to be assaulted in public areas, but I see little reason why the airline should be sued for 200K.

He managed to jack off and come in her hair without anyone noticing? Either he's a ninja or the flight crew and everyone around them were asleep.

Wow, what a stupid case...

There's always a bit of danger in public. Soon they'll say that there should be autoturrets everywhere so no one is mugged.

The airline is obliged to provide a certain modicum of security, if I am not much mistaken.

Indeed that's what I expected.

He managed to jack off and come in her hair without anyone noticing? Either he's a ninja or the flight crew and everyone around them were asleep.

Coming soon to theaters....


Attack of the Masturbation Ninjas

Can she not sue the guy for assault and public indecency?

Well unless the plane is state property, and the company just leases it for service provision then this occurred on private property, thus the owner, the company, should be responsible for preventing crime occuring in the plane. Of course the guy should be prosecuted for sexual assault and all that, but the company is equally liable.

wow thats disgusting

but no, the airline doesnt have a responsibility to make sure that everyone has their hands "outside the covers" at all times. he didnt actually touch her. the incident was over before the passenger or they knew it was happening and they took action as soon as they were aware of what was going on.

wow thats disgusting.

Coming soon to theaters....


Attack of the Masturbation Ninjas

dude thas great


the way I see it if there were that few people on the plain that someone could pull that off....pardon the pun, th airlines obviously doesn't have the money

This is kinda bizarre. Honestly I do believe that there is some obligation to provide protection. I also believe it is completely within her right to sue, however, there is no permanent damage here; She could probably have her scalp medically remodeled and have therapy for about a decade with 50,000 dollars-- so I believe 200,000 is above and beyond. Here in New York City, you know enough to stay relatively alert when you're in private, let alone in public.

So yea, I agree. She deserves to be compensated for the excessive lack of awareness demonstrated by the airline employees-- but 200,000 is far out of scope, - I'm going into a relatively decent job in a couple years, and 200,000 is little over 3 years worth of my salary; If I could live relatively free for 3 years I'd have some mentally scarred cretin ejaculate in my hair too.

--Honestly, the only way that amount of money should be considered for compensation is if the guy had AIDs or something life-threatening, in which case you could make an argument that the airline staff were neglectful and didn't stop an attempted murder...

She's justified, 200,000 is too much, someone I knew got 70,000 because their toe was broken-- and while I don't justify that it was a broken toe, this is 200,000 because she had to buy a 50 dollar ultra-sexy shampoo and some anxiety pills.

Done.

how the hell did he manage to do that without anyone noticing. if i see anyone doing a rubbing motion anywhere near their crotch i immediately assume.

wow thats disgusting
he didnt actually touch her.
wow thats disgusting.

Yeah well I think that this is a lot worse than touching her. Perhaps airlines should indeed forbid these kinds of things on the plane, for the sake of everyone else. And for the guy who did this, he should be prosecuted, arrested and receive the same treatment he gave her from his cellmates.

If it had been Cameron Diaz involved, there'd be a major outcry over this and a call for AA to reform it's policy immediately.[/semi-joking]

Can she not sue the guy for assault and public indecency?

He probably doesn't have 200k to sue him for

If it had been Cameron Diaz involved, there'd be a major outcry over this and a call for AA to reform it's policy immediately.[/semi-joking]

I think there'd be an outcry to get Cameron Diaz to hire some damn bodyguards.

dude thas great


the way I see it if there were that few people on the plain that someone could pull that off....pardon the pun, th airlines obviously doesn't have the money

*bows*

Somebody had to do it...

I think there'd be an outcry to get Cameron Diaz to hire some damn bodyguards.

It was in part a joke referring to the nature of the assault too.

The worst part is how she's probably going to win the suit.

Well unless the plane is state property, and the company just leases it for service provision then this occurred on private property, thus the owner, the company, should be responsible for preventing crime occuring in the plane. Of course the guy should be prosecuted for sexual assault and all that, but the company is equally liable.

^this

The worst part is how she's probably going to win the suit.

:confused:

I believe this is known as a 'Ken Dodd'.

that's disgusting,
My Faith in humanity has dropped quite steadily since i started posting here, and this is the lowest it's ever been.
what a creep.

I would go with "assault with a deadly weapon" if this happened to me.

I think it'd just be fun.

Pics or it didn't happen.

No seriously, some people are so incredibly fucked in the head its amazing. Who honestly thinks "hey you know what would be a good idea? If I jerk off and nut on a sleeping chick on a plane." I swear you can't make this stuff up. This and the women that sat on a toliet for two years just shows fact is far stranger than fiction.

Pics or it didn't happen.

No seriously, some people are so incredibly fucked in the head its amazing. Who honestly thinks "hey you know what would be a good idea? If I jerk off and nut on a sleeping chick on a plane." I swear you can't make this stuff up. This and the women that sat on a toliet for two years just shows fact is far stranger than fiction.

Indeed, I think I am on the verge of saying that RL is unrealistic and sticking to fiction.

Indeed, I think I am on the verge of saying that RL is unrealistic and sticking to fiction.

On the verge of? Come on AP we all know you better than that... ;)

It was in part a joke referring to the nature of the assault too.

Well that's a good point.

I don't think I'd sue if Cameron Diaz sat next to me, masturbated, and then rubbed her fingers in my hair. I might however ask her to sign a certificate of authentication so I could sell the scented hair on eBay.

He came in her hair!?


EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!

But suing for 200k is exessive though.

what a depraved,disgraceful story.

the masturbator is a criminal with mental problems and needs to spend some time out of circulation.

Aside from whatever he is charged and tried for, he should permanently lose all flying privileges for life.

I dont feel the airline bears any responsibilty for this assault-the perpetrator didnt defeat any of their saftey/security protocols. The story doesnt indicate this guy was previously observed behaving erratically. I dont see negligence on the part of the airline.

I hope this doesnt start a new regulation that all men have to empty ther scrotums during the security check screening.

I didn't get this answer from the story.

this happened in the common area of the plane, or in the personal restricted area of the plane?

If this happened in the common area because the stewardress fell asleep there, (where she shouldn't had), the airliner should not provide security there for the employees, and she is wrong in suing them. If it happened in the area dedicated to the personal, it is the airliner's fault.

I would just put the guy in jail, and forget about the incident if it had happened to me, I would demand a compensation from my employers, (perhaps some extra vacations, or a week leave), but I wouldn't go to court to ask for 200,000$, that is pretty ridiculous.

Indeed, I think I am on the verge of saying that RL is unrealistic and sticking to fiction.

"It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense."

-Mark Twain.

Aside: Did he do it purposely?

Wow, what a stupid case...

There's always a bit of danger in public. Soon they'll say that there should be autoturrets everywhere so no one is mugged.

There should be!

Can she not sue the guy for assault and public indecency?

One assumes he's already in jail awaiting trial.

Somehow I think it's entirely possible, depending on the situation, for the airline to have absolutely no idea that someone is in a moment of self-pleasure on one of their airliners. I assume that the woman didn't know until it was...ahem, too late. I know I sure as hell wouldn't want flight attendants breathing down the passengers' necks on a flight, but being there when they are needed is important.

I wouldn't award damages to the woman from the airline, but I would say that the man belongs locked up for a while and given a few thumps on the head with a shoe to knock some sense into him. Sheesh, keep it in your pants for the duration of the flight. Take a damn sedative if you have to. Letting the beast fly at someone's hair? Come on. How fucking stupid can you be? **sigh** I hate stupid people. Hate 'em.

"It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense."

-Mark Twain.

Aside: Did he do it purposely?

How do you masturbate by accident?

I feel terrible for laughing, but you must admit, it's kind of funny.

Whether he touched her or not is nto the point. It's sexual assault, people.

The dude should be in prison, IMO.

Yeah well I think that this is a lot worse than touching her. Perhaps airlines should indeed forbid these kinds of things on the plane, for the sake of everyone else. And for the guy who did this, he should be prosecuted, arrested and receive the same treatment he gave her from his cellmates.

looooooool.
you make it sound like its not forbidden by airline rules atmo.

what the whole 'litigation culture' thing appears to fail to grasp, is that life is NOT risk free, and you cannot expect to be kept completely safe 100% of the time. how the fudge can she think it's reasonable that the airline should moniter all passengers for this type of behaviour?
this isn't a risk free world missus.

people talking about sueing the perpetrator too... wtf?? jesus christ are Americans really this delicate, that they can't deal with tripping over their shoelaces without massive amounts of money to get them through such a traumatising event? its alright, it's the fault of the maker of the laces, they shouldn't have come undone so easily, i wasn't warned.

This is a matter for the police- what he did is illegal and he should be arrested and sentenced by a JUDGE, not by a LAWSUIT.

How do you masturbate by accident?

Technically, you could, but that was not the question I was posing. I wished to know if he deliberately soiled the woman.

Technically, you could, but that was not the question I was posing. I wished to know if he deliberately soiled the woman.

I know.

It's not a question of wether you are a policeman, airline employee or just bystander. It's also not a question of wether you are in a public or private area. If anyone sees anything like this happen, they are obliged to intervene. So, while I actually think the woman should care less about the airline, and more about suing that pervert, I can also only shake my head about the fact that nobody on this plane did anything to prevent this from happening.

Can she not sue the guy for assault and public indecency?

He's undoubtedly in jail. She's suing the airline because the airline almost certainly has more money than the pervert.

I've been racking my brains trying to think of something the airline could reasonably have done to make sure something like this couldn't happen. I haven't come up with anything. Sure, they could try to make sure that passengers get their new seatmates' attention before switching, but I'm not sure that would even have helped. The woman would just have gone back to sleep and... well, the rest is history.

OK, the jerk is whacko, but shoot, can anyone beat this story?

http://startelegram.typepad.com/sky_talk/2008/03/woman-files-law.html

Commentary includes:








So, does one have a reasonable expectation not to be subjecteds to criminal assaults while using a "public" facility such as an airline?

Or do the creeps replying to this have a point?
Yes, one does have a reasonable expectation to not be subjected to criminal assaults. I don't see why that's even a question.