Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
A 17-year-old girl was groped aboard a JetBlue airplane flying from Puerto Rico to Boston by a father of four and photographed the incident as it occurred for police.
Now the man accused of the assault is facing charges.
The man, flying with his wife and children, allegedly reached in between the seat cushions of a young girl in the seat in front of him on Aug. 30. The girl used her cellphone to take pictures as he allegedly reached into her seat.
The Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg is not naming the man to protect the identity of his four children.
The 46-year-old father from Newton, Massachusetts, has been charged with one count of abusive sexual contact while in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the U.S., according to reporting from the Miami Herald on Feb. 10. This is a felony charge that, if convicted, could carry a two-year prison sentence, a fine of up to $250,000 and one year of supervised release.
The teen was traveling with a family member who was sitting in a different row on the flight and reported the man to airline supervisors. The family member confronted the man and his wife after they got off the plane and accused him of groping the teen, presenting the couple with the evidence the teen had collected. The man allegedly apologized and said he was stretching, the family member told authorities in an affidavit.
He was arrested on Feb. 7 – the same day in which he made his first appearance in Boston federal court – and was released on certain conditions. These conditions included travel restricted to the U.S., unless given special international travel permission, and a requirement for medical or psychiatric treatment.
Leesfield & Partners
Every nine minutes, social workers and other protective agencies alike substantiate or find evidence for a claim of child sexual abuse, according to shocking numbers released by the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). It can happen at home, at church, at school, on airplanes or during summer camp. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that about 90% of child sexual abuse is done by someone known and trusted by the child or the family. These individuals can include family or members of the clergy, teachers, caregivers or friends.
More than $5 billion in settlements have been paid for allegations of sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic clergymen, with three-fourths going to victims, according to a report released by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University (CARA). The other 17% went toward attorneys’ fees and the remainder went to various costs. In 20 years of CARA surveys, there were 16,276 credible allegations of sexual abuse on minors.
Recently, Leesfield & Partners represented four individuals who were abused as children by a Catholic priest assigned to their parochial elementary schools. These four Leesfield & Partners clients had been horrifically abused multiple times as children by the same priest who was given unfettered access to the children in his position as a priest affiliated with the schools.
The firm secured a confidential settlement for the clients.
In 48 years of personal injury practice, Leesfield & Partners has represented numerous children who were abused at the hands of those meant to protect them. Through representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse, Leesfield & Partners and The Leesfield Family Foundation – the charitable organization of the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield – have also worked to contribute to non-profits seeking to provide essential services to those in need. Some of these organizations include the Lotus House/Sundari Foundation, Voices for Children America, and Kristi House, which directly works to prevent child sexual abuse, trafficking and other childhood traumas.
In a case similar to the one reported by the Miami Herald, Leesfield & partners represented a child who was traveling on an airline as an unaccompanied minor. Flight attendants were meant to be watching the child and ensuring the child’s safety, however, another passenger who was on the airline was able to place a blanket over himself and the child and abuse the child without these employees noticing.
The firm secured a confidential settlement in that case against the airline who failed to protect the child in their care.
In a case against a well-known Florida summer camp, Leesfield & partners obtained an $8.6 million recovery for a child who was sexually abused by a camp counselor. The camp ignored obvious warning signs of the abuse and continued to allow this individual to have access to the children entrusted to their care.
Leesfield & Partners represented students in a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against a private Florida high school after it was revealed that a teacher at the school had sexually abused several of the students over the years.
Negligent Security Cases
In addition to sexual abuse cases involving minors, Leesfield & Partners has vigorously defended other individuals who were raped or assaulted due to the negligence of property managers, security companies and other corporations. In an ongoing case being handled by Trial lawyer Bernardo Pimentel II, a woman was left scarred after a cruise line employee with access to her cabin was accused and convicted of planting hidden cameras in the private bathrooms of passengers. Our client was one of many, including children, who was unknowingly filmed by the cruise line’s employee. The man in that case was convicted of the crime and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
In an interview with local news reporters, our client, who chose not to be named, was left with a “crushing, devastating, terrifying feeling.”
Mr. Pimentel told reporters that “terminating the employee is not enough.”
“That does not stop this from occurring in the future,” he said.
In a previous case handled by Partner Justin B. Shapiro, a couple was viciously attacked while staying at a Miami hotel. The attacker in that case was able to enter the property and travel up to the couple’s floor without intervention from employees or security despite the fact that he was not a guest at the hotel. The man knocked on the couple’s door and launched a violent attack on the husband, severely beating him, before turning his rage onto the wife. The woman was horrifically beaten, raped and sexually assaulted.
Hotel security and other employees witnessed the horrific ordeal and did nothing to stop it. This hotel had no measures in place that could have stopped the man from getting inside the hotel or traveling up the elevator to the couple’s floor. There was a known history of gun violence at the property in addition to various other criminal activity. Despite this fact, and the recommendation to hire armed security guards, the hotel did nothing to ensure its employees and guests were protected.
Mr. Shapiro secured a $16 million settlement for the clients in that case.
The firm previously handled the case of a Canadian woman who was raped by a crewmember who used his keycard access as an employee to enter her room and begin the violent attack. Leesfield & Partners obtained a multi-million-dollar recovery for the woman in that case.
A hotel maid in Monroe County was raped on the job by a man on the property. Leesfield & Partners obtained a $1 million settlement for the woman in that case.
A store employee represented by the firm was raped and robbed at the shopping mall due to inadequate security on the premises. Leesfield & Partners recovered $1.13 million for the employee.
If you, or someone you know, has been affected by sexual abuse, 24-hour help can be found by calling the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673
