JetBlue is getting sued after two of its pilots allegedly drugged three female crew members, followed by one of the pilots raping two of them in what he called a “fantasy come true,” during a layover in Puerto Rico last May.
One plaintiff alleges that her rapist intentionally infected her with an STD during the assault.
“As far as we are aware both pilots still work for the company and no corrective action of any kind was taken with respect to either,” Abraham Melamed, who is representing the two suing women (identified as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2), told Fortune.
When asked if the pilots were still flying for the airline, JetBlue told Fortune, “While we cannot comment on pending litigation, JetBlue takes allegations of violent or inappropriate behavior very seriously and investigates such claims thoroughly.”
According to the lawsuit, first reported on by the New York Post, the three victims met JetBlue Flight Officers Eric Johnson and Dan Watson for the first time on a San Juan beach during a layover. Shortly after learning they were pilots, the suit says they were given beer that “was laced with a drug, and after that point, the rest of the night became a blur.”
The portion that they remember were outlined in the lawsuit, which claims that Johnson mounted and raped Jane Doe 1, who “felt the influence of the drug that [Johnson] laced the beer with, and was unable to react to the situation, but was simply aware that it was happening.”
After the assault, the suit writes that Johnson said: “Thank you for making my fantasy come true.”
Jane Doe 1, who subsequently got HPV as an alleged result of the rape, also recalled Johnson having intercourse with the third drugged crew member, who isn’t a plaintiff in the suit.
Although Melamed said he couldn’t speak for the third alleged victim, the lawyer told Fortune, “In my view, as one can imagine, anyone who underwent what these women were forced to undergo would be traumatized and scared.”
According to the lawsuit, “Johnson and Watson drugged [Jane Doe 2] and intended to rape [her] but did not when [she] began vomiting which was a turnoff.”
“Stunned,” the three women made their fight to Newark airport in New Jersey the next morning.
Melamed continued that “both Plaintiffs still work for the airline. I cannot comment on whether they were offered any leave but can state that as the complaint alleges, no corrective action was taken.”
Still unable to comment on an ongoing investigation, JetBlue concluded its statement to Fortune with the assertion, “we work to create a respectful workplace for all our crewmembers where they feel welcome and safe.”
The NY Post reports that the women are suing for at least $75,000 in damages in addition to lawyer fees.
