An anonymous National Football League player and a traveling companion have filed suit against United Airlines over an alleged sexual assault during a Feb. 10 flight.
The two men claim they were the victims of an intoxicated female passenger during a red-eye trip from Los Angeles International Airport to Newark-Liberty International in New Jersey, according to the sports website Bleacher Report.
The suit was filed Wednesday, May 19, in the Superior Court of California of the County of Los Angeles. The men requested a jury trial in the case, claiming “unwanted sexual advances” by the woman.
According to the complaint, the NFL player is listed as ‘John Doe 1’ and his fellow traveler as ‘John Doe 2.’ They alleged that they asked a flight attendant for help four times before the woman, seated in the same row, was moved to another seat
The unidentified NFL player and ‘John Doe 2’ are seeking compensatory and punitive damages. The suit claims the woman was drinking and taking prescription medication and wasn’t moved to another seat until she ripped off the NFL player’s face covering and allegedly grabbed his penis.
Their attorneys, Darren Darwish and Benji Azizian, said in a statement that “We bring this lawsuit with the hopes that it will be one of the last of its kind. Our goal is to shine a light on how assaults can, and are, being made on men and not just women. This is significant because assault is assault, regardless of the gender, race and physical attributes of the victim.”
