A woman has filed a lawsuit against Alaska Airlines claiming that she was groped by a drunk man on one of their flights.
According to the complaint, Nancy Throne was forcibly touched by fellow passenger Scott Christopher Brown, who was allegedly intoxicated onboard the flight on May 14, 2023. The woman is suing the airline, claiming Brown was overserved alcohol by flight attendants, as well as Brown for allegedly assaulting her.
Alaska Airlines told Newsweek they do not comment on active litigation.
Newsweek has been unable to reach out to Brown.
Why It Matters
Throne's lawyer, Mark Lindquist, said she was filing the suit—which is being brought to the King County Superior Court in Washington State—because she did not want other people to be subjected to assaults similar to the one alleged in her complaint.
U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman said last March that her district, the Western District of Washington, had been seeing "alarming increase in sexual abuse cases aboard aircraft."
What To Know
Throne was flying from Seattle to Honolulu with her book club and was sat across from Brown, who appeared to be sober when he boarded the plan, the lawsuit claims.
According to the complaint, sent to Newsweek by Lindquist, Brown started to continually drink red wine while attempting to initiate a conversation with Throne and reached out to grab her hand for an unwanted kiss. Brown then fell asleep, but when he woke up he continued to drink, with his glass being refilled by the flight attendants, the lawsuit claims.
Throne said she had a headache and closed her eyes on the flight. This is when she, alongside witnesses, allege that Brown reached over and groped her right breast.
Per the complaint, Brown became "increasingly intoxicated from the multiple and excessive servings of red wine by Alaska Air's flight attendants" throughout the flight.
Alaska Airlines' policy states that "No alcohol may be served to any person who appears to be intoxicated." This is in accordance with Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) regulations that say no visibly intoxicated person should be served alcohol.
Brown was met by officers when he got off the plane, who remarked that they could smell alcohol on his breath, according to the lawsuit. Per the complaint: "His intoxication and belligerence were so extreme, he faced potential charges for Obstruction of Government Operations."
According to the complaint, Throne was told that Brown was "charged or cited and paid a fine" in Hawaii, but she is still communicating with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Hawaii about this.
Throne is suing the airline for "grossly overserving alcohol and failing to protect the victim" and suing Brown for "negligence, assault, and battery."
Similar Cases on Planes
A 27-year old man was indicted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on February 6 for inappropriately touching a 17-year-old onboard an Alaska Airlines flight from Anchorage to Seattle.
Lindquist defended a victim in a similar lawsuit in March 2024, where the woman sued Delta Air Lines for overserving an intoxicated man who then groped her during a flight. The man was a passenger but also a Delta mechanic. He was fired from his job and sentenced to six months in prison and five years of supervised release.
What People Are Saying
Throne in a statement, per the complaint: "I am willing to assist in the prosecution of this individual. I don't want this to happen to anyone else."
Lindquist told Newsweek: "Drunkenness is not a defense to sexual assault. That said, almost every in-flight sexual assault case I've seen involves flight attendants overserving alcohol to passengers. Airlines and their employees need to be more mindful of how overservice of alcohol endangers passengers, the crew, and the safety of the plane. Nothing good comes from drunk and belligerent passengers.
"We should all be able to fly with a sense of safety. This means not only a safe plane, but a safe cabin where everyone conducts themselves with civility.... there has been a 'disturbing uptick' of in-flight sexual assaults. The solution is accountability and corrections."
Honolulu Deputy Sheriff, per Lindquist's press release: "[The man was] unsteady on his feet and I could smell the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath as he spoke."
FBI Los Angeles Field Office in an April 2024 statement about sexual assaults on aircraft: "Flyers are urged to be aware of their surroundings and take precautions to stay safe including keeping the armrest down between you and your seatmate and requesting a seat change if the passenger next to you engages in behavior that makes you feel uncomfortable. Anyone who believes they have been sexually assaulted is encouraged to alert a member of the flight crew and contact the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI."
What Happens Next
Throne has requested a jury trial for her suit, which asks for damages related to: "economic damages; exemplary damages; non-economic general damages; pre-judgment and post-judgment interest; actual attorneys' fees and costs incurred herein; and, such other relief as the Court deems just and equitable."
Her suit also states: "Plaintiff may have additional claims and or causes of action. To
the extent the law and the Court will allow, Plaintiff reserves the right to subsequently
amend this complaint accordingly."
Per the DOJ, abusive sexual contact is punishable by up to two years in prison.
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