Summary: A Delta passenger is suing the airline for allegedly mishandling her claim that she was groped by her seatmate during an overnight flight.
In 2016, Allison Dvaladze said she was flying on an overnight flight, and she fell asleep. When she woke up, she allegedly found her seatmate’s hand in between her legs, and after she fled for help, she was shocked when the flight attendant told her to “let it roll off your back.”
Dvaladze described the horrifying incident in detail to PBS.
“It was confusing at first. I hit his hand and yelled, ‘No,” Dvaladze said.
Dvaladze said after she yelled, “No” the man tried to grab her again; but she eventually unbuckled her seatbelt and escaped to the back of the plane. According to PBS, she informed a cabin crew member what had happened, and she was shocked at the attendance’s lax attitude.
About two years later, Dvaladze filed a lawsuit against Delta, according to Fox News. She said that the airline had a weak response to her groping incident, which she said left her humiliated.
Dvaladze filed her lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Seattle, and she claims Delta was grossly negligent which led to “injury, medical bills, physical and emotional pay and humiliation.”
The plaintiff was on a flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Amsterdam. In her lawsuit, she was flying overseas to help run a cancer program in coordination with the University of Washington.
Dvaladze said that a few hours into her flight, she fell asleep with her headphones on, and it was during this time, that her seatmate grabbed her crotch. She later told IBT that while the flight staff seemed supportive of her plight, they didn’t know how to properly handle the situation.
“They were trying to be supportive, but it was obvious they had no clear guidelines. They asked me, ‘What do you want to do?’” Dvaladze said to IBT.
Dvaladze said after she complained about the groper, the flight attendants told her they would investigate and allowed her to switch seats. However, when she arrived at the airport in Amsterdam, no police were there to respond to the incident.
The Seattle Times reported that Dvaladze watched her attacker walk off the plane “as if nothing had happened.” The plaintiff said she followed up with Delta later to find out what the results of the investigation were and the airline said they had no record of the assault.
“Delta is dismayed by what this suit contains but has no additional comment on this pending litigation,” the airline told Fox News.
According to CNN, Delta emailed an apology to the plaintiff and had offered her 10,000 frequent flyer miles shortly after the complaint. Disgusted by the weak response, Dvaladze created a Facebook page called “Protect Airline Passengers From Sexual Assault,” which was a forum to raise awareness about sexual assault on planes and to enact change in policies.
“Sex harassment on commercial flights is a disturbingly pervasive issue. As common carriers, airlines have a responsibility to protect their passengers,” Nate Bingham, an attorney for Dvaladeze said.
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