An unnamed Chicago father wants to know just how friendly the skies where Southwest Airlines flies really are, as he claims in a lawsuit that an older female passenger offered his 14-year-old son sex and drugs on the plane, according to the Chicago Tribune.
According to the lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court earlier this week, the incident happened two years ago while the plane was somewhere between Chicago and Orlando, Florida. The teenager allegedly asked for a different seat several times but "was emphatically told no."
Illinois injury attorney Jeffrey Deutschman, representing the family of the boy (now 16 years old), pointed out that Southwest Airlines had a duty of care for the minor but didn't meet that duty:
"They failed to protect him. They allowed an individual to get intoxicated on that flight. That person was harassing my client sexually as well as trying to give him drugs. He was a very scared little boy."
The Chicago Sun-Times article about the incident reported that he went to the bathroom four times just to get away from her. Sun-Times quoted the attorney Jeffrey Deutschman chiding the airline:
"I do not understand how an airline today, in this post-9-11 world would permit a passenger to be abusive to a small child."
A Southwest Airlines spokesman contacted by reporters declined to comment.
Jeffrey Deutschman said his client was so scared by the experience, which was during his out bound trip to visit relatives that he refused to fly home alone. His father allegedly flew down to accompany him on the trip home.
The boy's family is seeking in excess of $50,000 in the lawsuit.
But even though countless adolescent boys have dreamed about joining the "mile high club," solicitation and harassment are never okay. If you believe a company or institution has breached its duty of care, you might want to contact a Chicago injury lawyer for advice.
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