Last October, a then-17-year-old girl was flying on United from NYC to L.A. when she claims she spotted a nearby male passenger making love to himself under a blanket. She says she twice complained to flight attendants, but to no avail. Now she’s suing the nation’s largest airline over the alleged incident.

According to the plaintiff, who filed the suit yesterday in Los Angeles Superior Court, flight attendants did nothing to stop the man and told the young woman there was nothing they could do because there were no other seats available. When the flight landed, the plaintiff says the man was allowed to leave with the rest of the passengers.

Even though the airline didn’t call the cops, the passenger’s father did. Eventually, the male passenger pled guilty when confronted with his actions. For her troubles, the teen received an apology letter from United.

“I was terrified and disgusted throughout the flight and kept hoping that the man would stop,” the young woman tells CBS L.A. “But he did not. Except for brief moments when the flight attendant was standing next to him in the immediate vicinity.”

Celebrity attorney Gloria Allred is on the case, saying that this lawsuit isn’t just about an isolated incident, but “is about protecting all passengers from this kind of victimization in the future.”

A rep for United tells CBS that, “The comfort and security of our customers is our top priority, and we will closely review this complaint when we receive it.”

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