United slammed with lawsuit by a woman who claims she was groped by a man 3 times during a flight and the airline did nothing to protect her

Wikimedia Commons

The lawsuit alleges that Dowling consumed alcohol and Ambien before groping the plaintiff.

• A woman is suing United Airlines for allegedly failing to protect her from being groped on a July 2016 flight from Hong Kong to San Francisco.
• According to the lawsuit, which was filed on July 5 in Denver federal court, plaintiff Anne Maureen Dowling was allegedly touched sexually without her consent three times by Monte Wedl.
• Dowling claims she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and had to take time away from her job as a result of the incident.
• Wedl was acquitted of criminal assault charges based on Dowling's allegations in 2017.

A woman has filed suit against United Airlines for allegedly failing to protect her from being groped on a July 2016 flight from Hong Kong to San Francisco.

According to the lawsuit, which was filed on July 5 in Denver federal court, plaintiff Anne Maureen Dowling claims she was touched sexually without her consent three times by Monte Wedl. Dowling claims she became concerned about Wedl when he allegedly told a flight attendant he missed his wife and was "horny" after spending two months away from his home. The lawsuit claims Wendl consumed three or four vodka sodas and took Ambien before touching Dowling in a sexual manner on three separate occasions while she was sleeping.

Dowling then asked a flight attendant to move her to a new seat, but the flight attendant "suggested" Dowling return to her original seat and talk to Wedl, according to the lawsuit. After Dowling spoke with the head flight attendant, she was given a new seat in the same row as her original seat, but further away from Dowling, the lawsuit alleges.

According to the lawsuit, Dowling suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and had to take time away from her job as a result of the incident. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages over $75,000.

Wedl was acquitted of criminal assault charges based on Dowling's allegations in 2017, according to the lawsuit.

A United representative told Business Insider the airline was unable to comment on the case.

"We can't comment on this case because of pending litigation, but safety is our top priority and we're always looking for more we can do to ensure the safety and security of the hundreds of thousands of people who fly United every day," the representative said.

Here is the filing in its entirety: