OMG this is like a 21st century horror movie!
Imagine getting a text message from a stranger describing your beauty — because they’re looking right at you! *shudder* According to Ashley Barno‘s lawsuit, that’s something she went through thanks to an employee of American Airlines.
Related: Olivia Wilde Furious Airline Censored Lesbian Kiss From Booksmart
Barno says she was sitting in the San Diego International Airport in April 2019, waiting on her flight to leave, when she gets a text from an unknown number, saying:
“Hey, Ashley! How are you?”
Naturally, she responds:
“Sorry, I’m not sure who this is.”
The texter replies:
“I met you the other day at the airport.”
Then he tells her his name was Ahmad and he works for American Airlines. He also drops this gem on her:
“BTW I must tell you that you are gorgeous”
ICK!
And it only gets spookier… when he tells her he can see her! And they’re on the same flight! SO SCARY!!! Barno says he messaged her:
“I am on board now. Are you going to Chicago too?? Will you join me? I really like you!! Come join me!!”
He also allegedly told her “friendship with me will be very beneficial for you. I can always give you good seats, access to lounges and free drinks.”
Ew ew ew ew. Barno tells NBC San Diego she never dropped her guard:
“The whole time I kept asking him, ‘Who are you? How do you know who I am? How’d you get my info?'”
After a bit of insisting she gave him her number and just doesn’t remember — ugh, gaslight much? — “Ahmad” finally admits he got her number “from ur bag tag.” He got her digits from her freakin’ luggage?! OMG so gross!
She tells him to come show himself — after all, she’s in a very public place, and it’s better now than later when she’s all alone. Ahmad tells her he can’t find her anymore; however he also proves he wasn’t bluffing:
“But you are looking very gorgeous in that gray top today.”
Aaaaagh!
Barno says she called a flight attendant who confirmed Ahmad was an American Airlines employee. Not only that, Barno learned he had harassed passengers before!
According to the lawsuit Barno has now filed, she called the airline multiple times but they never took action. Now she’s suing the company for negligent hiring, supervision, and retention. Per the lawsuit, via CNN:
“American Airlines did not do a sufficient job in hiring and supervising employees to keep its customers safe from sexual harassment and stalking”
Yeah, no kidding. Barno is also suing the employee, whose full name has not been released, for sexual harassment, stalking, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
She says he continued messaging her after the flight with “sexually-suggestive images.” Presumably she can back up that claim with the messages, so her case seems pretty airtight to us. Especially since employees of the airline clearly knew Ahmad had done this before and wasn’t fired on the spot.
In a statement to NBC San Diego, American Airlines responded:
“American Airlines takes the privacy and safety of our customers very seriously. While we can’t discuss details about this individual case, we investigated the allegations and took appropriate action.”
Um, clearly not right away. Otherwise he wouldn’t have been there to creep on Ashley in the first place.
What do YOU think of this lawsuit, Perezcious paralegals? What’s the worst you’ve ever been creeped on by an employee?
[Image via E4/Apega/WENN.]
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