TORRANCE (CNS) – A social media influencer who does video travel reviews is suing American Airlines, alleging she was left in “emotional devastation” by the behavior of a drunk female passenger who was allowed to board the same aircraft as the plaintiff and harass her and a friend during a January flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.
Angelica Jensen’s Torrance Superior Court lawsuit alleges assault, battery, negligence and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. Jensen seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
An AA representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the suit filed Thursday.
Jensen, 24, is active on Instagram and TikTok. She reviews travel locations for prospective visitors, according to the suit, which further states her expenses are financed by businesses such as hotels and restaurants in locations worldwide in exchange for her commentary and videos with the expectation of drawing more business.
Jensen and a female friend had first-class seats for an AA flight in January from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and were chatting after boarding when a woman, identified in the suit only as Jane Doe, sat behind them, the suit states.
“Plaintiff and friend almost immediately noticed that Jane Doe was exhibiting obvious behaviors indicative of being under the influence of alcohol and/or other substances,” the suit states.
The flight was delayed about two hours due to maintenance issues, according to the suit. Despite Jane Doe’s obvious intoxication, AA flight attendants allegedly continued to serve her alcohol.
Jensen and her companion reluctantly agreed to Jane Doe’s request to join their conversation, after which Doe made numerous inappropriate comments, including that she has a “wealthy Jewish husband” and that she regularly flies on private aircrafts, the suit states.
A flight attendant who saw Doe begin stroking Jensen’s friend’s hair and one of her arms took no action and instead said, “Oh, hell no,” before walking away, according to the suit, which further states that Doe began dancing in the aisle as the flight prepared for takeoff.
Although passengers were told to remain in their seats during departure, Doe, significantly larger than Jensen, sat on her lap and groped her, the suit alleges.
No member of the flight crew responded to Jensen’s pleas for assistance, but one flight attendant told the plaintiff that she regretted not removing Doe from the flight before takeoff and she advised Jensen to file a police report when they reached Las Vegas, the suit states.
Jensen reported what happened with Doe to both Las Vegas police and the FBI, the suit states.
As a result of Jensen’s experience, the plaintiff no longer feels safe traveling on a commercial airline, even to visit her father, and she has been unable to progress in her profession as a travel influencer, the suit states.
Jensen attends counseling sessions to help her deal with panic attacks and other mental trauma and she and her boyfriend have experienced “significant reductions in their ability to maintain a healthy romantic connection,” according to the suit.
