CEO Sues American Airways, Claiming Man Allegedly Masturbated in First Class for an Hour

• A CEO is suing American Airways, alleging {that a} flight attendant advised her “males simply do stuff like that” after she reported that the passenger subsequent to her in first-class was masturbating for an hour.
• The girl is suing the airline for negligence, discrimination and intentional infliction of emotional misery.
  
• Attorneys for the CEO argue that the flight attendant’s feedback implied that “as a lady, [she] was anticipated to endure such grotesque misconduct.”

A lady is suing American Airways, alleging {that a} flight attendant dismissed her and advised her “males simply do stuff like that” after a male passenger sitting subsequent to her in first-class started masturbating throughout an eight-hour flight to Milan.

Neel Elsherif, the CEO of a number of firms, together with vegan leather-based model Mela, filed a criticism in opposition to American Airways within the U.S. District Courtroom’s Japanese District of New York on March 21, accusing the corporate of negligence, discrimination and intentional infliction of emotional misery.

Within the criticism, obtained by PEOPLE, Elsherif alleges that she “suffered a disturbing and traumatic expertise” throughout her premium financial system flight from John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport in New York Metropolis to Milan in Could 2024, when an “intoxicated, caucasian male passenger seated subsequent to her overtly masturbated for about 60 minutes throughout the flight.”

“American strives to supply a constructive expertise to everybody who travels with us. We’re reviewing the allegations of the criticism,” the airline advised PEOPLE in a press release.

Attorneys for Elsherif argue that the flight attendant’s remark implied that “as a lady, [Elsherif] was anticipated to endure such grotesque misconduct, and [reinforced] the pernicious and illegal stereotype that girls should tolerate male predation as a truth of life.”

The criticism additionally argues that Elsherif’s alleged poor therapy from the flight attendant was racial, as she is of Arab and Center Japanese descent, and each the flight attendant and the person — referred to solely as “John Doe” — are white.

“The flight attendant gave John Doe preferential therapy over [her], and handled John Doe’s security, consolation and comfort extra importantly than [hers], as a result of John Doe is a white male,” the criticism alleges.

In keeping with the criticism, the person was served a number of glasses of champagne throughout the first hour of the flight, and Elsherif observed him rubbing his pants quickly after the lights dimmed and she or he was getting ready to fall asleep.

“Earlier than [she] fell asleep, she observed John Doe was holding his groin and rubbing his genitals over his pants; when this rubbing didn’t cease, however as an alternative intensified, [Elsherif] realized that John Doe was masturbating subsequent to her,” the criticism states. “Shocked, Plaintiff froze in her seat and commenced to panic; she felt extraordinarily uncomfortable and helpless.”

In keeping with the criticism, Elsherif tried to stare straight forward and hoped that one of many flight attendants would discover and intervene, however the alleged incident went on for a full hour. Elsherif then stood up and spoke to a flight attendant to report the alleged incident after the person had stopped masturbating.

The CEO alleges that the flight attendant dismissed her, telling her “males simply do stuff like that,” referring to masturbation, and that the attendant’s husband did “stuff like that.”

“The flight attendant acknowledged that there was ‘nothing actually that [she] can do’ besides transfer [her] seat to a distinct seat in coach,” the criticism claims. Elsherif additionally requested the attendant to maneuver the person’s seat to educate as a result of she had paid greater than $3,000 for her seat, however she claims the flight attendant refused.

She additionally claims within the criticism that she moved to a seat in coach and later noticed the flight attendant serving John Doe extra champagne and “participating in jovial, pleasant interactions” with him.

When she reported the alleged sexual assault to gate employees at each Milan Malpensa Airport and again in New York Metropolis, Elsherif was additionally advised to “name the 1-800 quantity.”

Attorneys for Elsherif are requesting that American Airways pay damages for inflicting emotional misery.

When reached for remark by PEOPLE, Elsherif mentioned she had nothing further so as to add.

Should you or somebody you already know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the Nationwide Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.