An American Airlines flight attendant is suing the airline for how it handled her complaint that she was sexually assaulted by a celebrity chef while on a business trip.
“At the end of the day, I’m not Jane Doe. I’m Kimberly Goesling,” she said in an interview.
Goesling, a native of Fort Worth and who worked for American Airlines for 31 years, initially filed the lawsuit under the pseudonym, but decided to go public with her story.
The assault occurred during a 2018 trip to Germany, where he had been assigned to work on a new menu and new food options for international flights.
Chef and restaurateur, Mark Sargeant, from Kent, England, was working with the team.
He appeared uninvited one night outside Goesling’s hotel room after sending her inappropriate text messages, which she ignored, he said.
“It wasn’t like a soft knock. It was like something was wrong, someone needed something. I remember going to the door and thinking, ‘Wow, it’s him!
As soon as he opened the door, it was then that he forced his way into his room, the veteran employee recounted.
At first, Goesling filed the lawsuit only against Sargeant. Both parties quickly agreed to a confidential settlement. But Sargeant was not criminally charged.
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Goesling said he tried to report the crime to police in Fort Worth when he returned, but they said they lacked authority as it happened in Germany.
The Dallas attorney who represented Sargeant, Gary Kessler, did not return an email sent by NBC 5 seeking comment.
After reaching a settlement with Sargeant, Goesling added American Airlines accusing the company of mishandling the situation and, in fact, putting it on trial.
“They have deposed my best friends. They reached out and deposed my ex-boyfriend,” she said.
They even asked her mother personal questions about her, Goesling recounted.
“American literature says, ‘You see something, report it. We will protect you. We will take care of you. We do not tolerate bad behavior.’ Well, that’s what they say, but they did the exact opposite in this case,” said Goesling’s attorney, Rob. Miller.
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The airline issued a short statement.
“American has an unwavering commitment to its team members,” the statement said. Immediately after the incident was reported, we conducted an investigation and terminated our business relationship with the accused individual… Ms. Goesling continues to be a valued member of our team. “
Goesling said she feels betrayed.
“I want an apology. I would like to have an apology. I would like to sit down and talk to our leaders to find out what happened. What went wrong?” Goesling said
The dispute is scheduled to go to trial in July, but American asked the judge to delay the proceedings.
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