- A 51-year-old woman is suing United Airlines, saying she was sexually assaulted on a flight.
- She said her fellow first-class passenger was given nine servings of alcohol.
United Airlines is being sued by a woman who says she was sexually assaulted by a fellow first-class passenger given "nine servings of alcohol" on a four-hour flight.
The 51-year-old woman, referred to only as Jane Doe in the suit, was flying between Orlando and Denver last October when she alleges the assault took place. The lawsuit was filed in the Colorado District Court on Wednesday.
Seated in 1A, the frequent flyer had a "pleasant conversation" with the man sat next to her for the first 30 minutes, before he began requesting a vodka and orange juice every time the flight attendant walked past, according to the complaint.
His repeated requests "frustrated" the flight attendant who began giving him double servings in larger glasses to avoid having to bring him drinks so frequently, the suit says.
The plaintiff said she counted three normal-sized drinks and three doubles for a total of nine servings of alcohol.
According to the lawsuit, the "highly intoxicated assailant" touched the woman's leg about an hour into the flight. He continued touching her as she asked him to stop, before sexually assaulting her, the complaint alleges.
"As the flight continued, the Assailant would not stop tormenting Ms. Doe," the suit says.
The suit alleges that the flight attendants didn't check on the woman or see if the man was creating problems.
"On information and belief, United personnel routinely continue serving alcohol to intoxicated first-class patrons so as to promote a 'you're the boss' customer experience for those patrons," the lawsuit added.
The woman said she received a refund after contacting the airline when she returned home, and the call operator acknowledged that a passenger shouldn't be served so much alcohol, per the suit.
She has been suffering from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress as a result of the incident, the suit says. The suit is seeking in excess of $100,000 in damages.
United did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment, sent outside US working hours.