The two women behind the class action say that Frontier Airlines outright ignored complaints of sexual assault and molestation aboard domestic flights.
A federal class action accuses Frontier Airlines of failing to prevent, report and address sexual assaults.
The lawsuit was filed Monday by two Colorado residents. Both women say they were sexually assaulted aboard Frontier flights.
One woman—who FOX31 names only as “Jane Doe”—claims to have been molested by another passenger while flying from Denver to Florida in 2018. She’s being represented by attorney Pamela Maass.
“This was a red-eye flight. She was asleep,” Maass explained. “She had the blanket over her, and the passenger next to her stuck his hand under the blanket into her private region.”
But when Doe reported the incident to a flight attendant, nothing happened. The unnamed steward or stewardess appeared not to have notified other cabin personnel, let alone law enforcement. Maass says her client was forced to take action alone, calling the FBI once the flight landed and deboarded.
The other leading plaintiff, Lena Ramsay, makes a similar claim.
Ramsay, a combat veteran, claims she, too, was assaulted on a late-night flight from Denver to Rhode Island. She says a passenger in one of the seats behind her repeatedly tried to touch her inappropriately.
“I was so shocked, it too me a minute to say is this a guy reaching around the seats and touching me the way he is, and it wasn’t until I saw his hands come completely through that I jumped up, and I reported it immediately,” Ramsay said in a “FaceTime interview” with an attorney.
Ramsay, notes FOX31, claims to have told a flight attendant. But she was refused permission to switch seats. Frontier allegedly did not report the assault upon landing or contact law enforcement, leaving Ramsay to call investigators herself.
While Ramsay’s call to the FBI did prompt an investigation, no charges were filed against the other passenger.
“In both of these cases it was clear that either [Frontier] weren’t following any policies and procedures, or they did not have any policies and procedures,” Maass said.
Ramsay claims she’s been extensively affected by the alleged assault.
“I wish I could put into words how much this has affected me,” she said in an early-2019 interview. “I blame myself 100% and wish I could go back and react differently. My life is traveling, getting out there and going places. This has just devastated my world.”
Ramsay says she has to take anxiety medication and attend sexual assault counseling twice per week.
FOX31 reports that Frontier declined requests for comment, citing its policy on pending litigation. However, the airline did issue a statement emphasizing its commitment to passenger safety.
“The safety of our passengers and crew members is our number one priority at Frontier Airlines and we have strict policies in place to proactively and appropriately respond to misconduct and alleged crimes,” Frontier said.
Sources
Class-action lawsuit filed against Frontier Airlines after alleged sexual assaults
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