United Apologizes to Family After False Molestation Accusation

Flight attendant calls airport police after incident, causing family to threaten lawsuit.

A family flying to Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) aboard United Airlines wants more than an apology being accused of inappropriately touching their son during their flight. Durham’s The Herald-Sun reports the flyer, Henry Amador-Batten, was detained by airport police for over an hour for questioning over the incident.

Amador-Batten was flying with his husband and adopted five-year-old son when the alleged incident took place. According to their accounts, the flight attendant said he witnessed the man with his hand “…too close to the child’s genitals.” However, the flyer says he simply rested his arm on the child’s lap as his son slept on the flight.

Upon arrival at RDU, Amador-Batten was detained by airport police, who questioned him about the incident. After filing a counter-report against the flight attendant for “treating him oddly in flight,” the family was allowed to return home.

“This is not something that should have happened in front of my son,” Joel Amador-Batten, Henry’s husband, wrote on the DADsquared community on Facebook. “This misguided man’s assumptions about my husband and the accusations that he made are completely unfounded.”

In a statement to The Herald-Sun, United acknowledged the situation took place aboard their aircraft. The airline noted they “followed up with the customer directly and […] apologized for the situation.” The passengers have retained legal counsel and are considering further action against the carrier.

The incident is the latest troubles at United requiring a public apology from the carrier. In April 2017, the Chicago-based airline went on the apology circuit after a passenger was dragged off an aircraft, followed by the death of a rabbit during a flight.

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