WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Dallas-based law firm Miller Bryant LLP said Monday that an American Airlines flight attendant, who says she was sexually assaulted by a celebrity chef hired by the airline, will get the chance to tell her story to a jury, following a ruling by a Tarrant County district court judge.
The ruling, by Judge Kimberly Fitzpatrick, rejected all portions of a motion for summary judgment filed by American that sought to avoid allowing a jury to hear the case. The case is set for trial in Judicial District Court on January 24.
The plaintiff in the case, Kimberly Goesling of Fort Worth, first publicly told the story of what happened to her - and American's role in it - in a 2021 Facebook and Instagram.
Goesling, a nearly 30-year flight attendant for the airline, was a flight crew leader and worked on the airline's recruitment and training teams.
During a special assignment in January 2018, Goesling went with other American Airlines employees to Germany to help develop a special international menu for first- and business-class passengers.
Also on the work trip was a celebrity chef whom American hired without a background check and continued to employ even after it learned of prior allegations against him for alcohol abuse and inappropriate sexual conduct, according to the lawsuit.
On the final night of the group's stay, the chef forced his way into Goesling's hotel room and sexually assaulted her. American's own investigation later showed he admitted to the attack.
When she reported the attack to the company, managers promised to pay Goesling for treatment and allow her time away from work shifts, as needed. They did neither, instead removing her from her coveted position on the airline's recruitment team, the lawfirm Miller Bryant said.
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