Southwest Airlines is facing a lawsuit following an alleged sexual assault of a 16-year-old boy during a flight on July 4, 2022. Filed by legal firm Greenberg Gross LLP, the lawsuit accuses the airline of negligence for failing to protect the teen from a “visibly intoxicated” male passenger who allegedly assaulted him.

The incident occurred on a flight from Las Vegas to Portland, where the boy was seated separately from his family in a “middle seat near the back of the plane.” The complaint highlights Southwest's “lack of any flight attendant intervention or monitoring” during the flight, which purportedly allowed the assault to occur.

According to the lawsuit, the assailant repeatedly groped the boy, initiated attempts to kiss him, as well as other sexual advances. Following getting off the flight and reuniting with his family, the minor "broke down in tears and informed his parents of the assault." The family contacted the Port of Portland Police following the incident.

As reported by People, Greenberg Gross LLP emphasized in a press release that Southwest's negligence in this case reflects a systemic failure to ensure passenger safety, especially for minors. The plaintiff's attorney, Daniel S. Cha, referenced a prior sexual assault case involving a 13-year-old girl on a Southwest flight, suggesting a pattern of inadequate protective measures by the airline.

In a personal statement from the plaintiff released by Greenberg Gross LLP, he ultimately decided to file a lawsuit, "because there’s a lot of other people who suffer the same anxiety and fear that I feel every day." "I want them to know that something can be done about it,” he emphasized. “Something needs to be done to make sure that children are made safe.”

The plaintiff is seeking “relief” from the incident, including “compensatory general damages in an amount to be proven at trial.”