WM.. v. Am. Airlines, Inc.

338 F. Supp. 3d 1203
CourtDistrict Court, D. Oregon
DecidedSeptember 5, 2018
DocketNo. 3:16-cv-01366-HZ
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 338 F. Supp. 3d 1203 (WM.. v. Am. Airlines, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
WM.. v. Am. Airlines, Inc., 338 F. Supp. 3d 1203 (D. Or. 2018).

Opinion

MARCO A. HERNÁNDEZ, United States District Judge

Plaintiff R.M. as a parent and next best friend of M.W., a minor child, brings this action for negligence and common carrier liability against Defendant American Airlines, Inc. Defendant American Airlines also brings a claim for contribution against Third-Party Defendant Chad Cameron Camp. Currently pending before this Court are Plaintiff's Motion to Strike the Third-Party Claim and Dismiss Third-Party Defendant Camp and Defendant American Airlines' Motion for Summary Judgment. For the reasons that follow, the Court grants Defendant American Airlines' Motion for Summary Judgment and denies as moot Plaintiff's Motion to Strike.

BACKGROUND

M.W. ("Plaintiff") is a minor child and was a passenger on a June 15, 2016 flight from Dallas, TX, to Portland, OR, operated by Defendant American Airlines ("Defendant"). As a minor child flying alone, M.W. qualified as an unaccompanied minor or "UNMR." Defendant American Airline's employees are advised that they are responsible for ensuring the safe travel of UNMRs until they reach their destination. Snyder Decl. Ex. 6 ("McMahan Dep.") 45:1-15; 46:12-23; 47:5-16, ECF 86; id. at Ex. 27, 29, 30. Its Customer Policy for UNMRs-included in the training for flight attendants and the inflight manual used by flight attendants-specifies that flight attendants should pay extra attention to the UNMR's and "ensure their well being and safe travel." Id. at Ex. 30. During their training, flight attendants are instructed to ensure that any UNMR is comfortable with where they are seated and who they are seated next to. Snyder Decl. Ex. 12 ("Smith Dep.") 16:19-18:4. Flight Attendants may reseat the UNMR within the cabin if needed. Id. at Ex. 30.

An American Airlines' employee assigned Plaintiff her seat on the Dallas to Portland flight when she checked in for the first part of her trip in San Antonio, TX. Shaffer Decl. ¶ 6, ECF 80. Plaintiff was assigned window-seat 21A. Id. Third-Party Defendant Chad Camp ("Defendant Camp") was assigned middle-seat 21B on the same flight. Id. at ¶ 7. The aisle seat next to Defendant Camp-as well as several other seats on that flight-were vacant. Snyder Decl. Ex. 5 ("Kuykendall Dep.") at 77:24-78:4, 116:6-9.

After boarding was complete, a flight attendant informed Defendant Camp that he could move to the vacant aisle seat next to him if he wanted to have more space. Snyder Decl. Ex. 10 ("Price Dep.") 63:9-6; Snyder Decl. Ex. 28. Defendant Camp declined. Id. Plaintiff was not given an opportunity to change her seat. Price Dep. 64:24-65:1. Despite the instructions given in the preflight safety video, a flight attendant also had to instruct Defendant Camp to put his tray table up and stow his *1207bag under the seat in front of him. Id. at 59:7-60:23; Snyder Decl. Ex. 28 at 1. The flight attendants testified that there was nothing unusual or extraordinary about Defendant Camp. Price Dep. 58:1-16; Snyder Decl. Ex. 4 ("Kirklin Dep.") 16:14-24. They also testified that he did not appear to be under the influence of intoxicants. See Kuykendall Dep. 116:3-5; Price Dep. 58:12-19; Kirklin Dep. 41:11-15, 50:2-6

As required by Defendant American Airlines' policies, the flight attendants took their seats prior to take off. Kuykendall Dep. 39:23-40:13. Once the airplane reached 10,000 feet, the captain signaled to the flight attendants that they could get up from their seats. Id. ; Kirklin Dep. 45:2-46:1; Shaffer Decl. Ex. 6. Flight attendant Caroline Warmath then began distributing snacks to the passengers. Kuykendall Dep. 41:14:42-9. When she reached row 21, she observed Defendant Camp's hand on Plaintiff's lap in her "groin" or "crotch" area. Id. at 13:24-14:22; Snyder Decl. Exs. 24, 26. Ms. Warmath immediately demanded Defendant Camp remove his hand, moved Defendant Camp to the rear of the plane, and notified lead flight attendant Anna Kirklin. Kuykendall Dep. 43:16-44:21; Price Dep. 73:8-74:23. Two "able-bodied men" were moved to the back of the aircraft to monitor Defendant Camp. Lear Decl. Ex. 12 ("Strader Dep.") 22:12-14, ECF 79; Kuykendall Dep. 57:12-20; Price Dep. 75:25-76:8. Ms. Warmath also moved Plaintiff to a seat between two women in row eight, the second row behind first class. Snyder Decl. Ex 15 ("M.W. Dep.") 54:1-14. After both were moved, the captain notified dispatch of the incident. Strader Dep. 25:11-13. At the time the message was sent to dispatch, radar shows that the aircraft was over Texas airspace and had been throughout the entire incident. Starkey Decl. ¶¶ 3-6, Ex. 1.

Defendant American Airlines arranged to have law enforcement meet the flight at the gate when it arrived in Portland. Lear Decl. ("Rodriguez Dep.") 33:6-9; Snyder Decl. Ex. 21. After M.W. was escorted off the airplane to meet her stepfather, Rodriguez Dep. 34:15-19, 35:17-19, Defendant Camp was removed from the airplane by police, Kirklin Dep. 39:19-21; Rodriguez Dep. 36:5-7.

As a result of his conduct, Defendant Camp was charged with several crimes and ultimately pled guilty to both Assault with Intent to Commit Sexual Contact of a Minor and Indecent Sexual Proposal to a Minor. Lear Decl. Ex. 6 at 1. Despite pleading guilty, Defendant Camp testified at his deposition that he had no recollection of committing the assault. Lear Decl. Ex. 15 ("Camp Dep.") 63:13-18.

Plaintiff alleges that she has suffered physical, mental, and emotional injuries because of this incident. Am. Compl. ¶ 49, ECF 4. During the duration of the flight to Portland, she was afraid to leave her seat to use the restroom. M.W. Dep. 56:15-23. Days later, she was still in shock and "mentally ... not okay." Id. at 58:14-59:10. Her mother similarly testified that in the days following the flight Plaintiff suffered bouts of crying and was shocked, sad, and angry. Snyder Decl. Ex. 8 ("R.M. Dep.") 158:2-159:9. She was then quiet and withdrawn for a few weeks. Id. After moving to Montana in August of 2016, she underwent counseling and was diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety. Id. at 70:1-72:21; Snyder Decl. Ex. 3 ("Holloway Dep.") 30:18-24, 32:1-9; Lear Decl. Ex. 4 (Pl. Resp. Def. Interrog. 16). She was called names and blamed for what happened to her by her classmates. M.W. Dep. 63:15-65:18. For a month in the fall following the assault, she came home crying from school every day. R.M. Dep. 174:4-15. For some time, Plaintiff blamed *1208herself for what happened. M.W. Dep. 92:25-93:11.

After the assault, Plaintiff also began avoiding young men. She is afraid of men in their twenties and never wants to fly alone again. Id. at 68:8-23, 69:17-24. She confirms there are no older male siblings at friend's homes before sleeping over. Id. at 77:25-78:5. Once a month, events trigger memories of the assault, such as seeing a man Defendant Camp's age or hearing people talk about flying alone. Id. at 92:13-24. She is uncomfortable walking down the street, worries about what others could do to her, and feels the need to avoid men. Id. at 61:15-66:21; Snyder Decl. Ex. 20. Her mother testified that Plaintiff is visibly anxious and will get jumpy when she is around men in public places. R.M. Dep. 127:2-128:19.

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Bluebook (online)
338 F. Supp. 3d 1203, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wm-v-am-airlines-inc-ord-2018.