A North Texas jury has determined that American Airlines is not responsible for an alleged sexual assault of a flight crew member, Kimberly Goesling, by a chef working with the carrier.
According to previous reports on The Dallas Express, Kimberly Goesling, who was a flight attendant at American Airlines at the time, accused British celebrity chef Mark Sargeant of sexual assault during a work trip to Germany in 2018.
According to Goesling, Sargeant allegedly forced his way into her hotel room one night after drinking with American Airlines’ managers.
Before her retirement in December, Goesling had worked with the Fort Worth-based carrier for more than 30 years.
In a lawsuit filed against American Airlines, Goesling claimed that the airline encouraged the chef’s advances. According to Goesling, American Airlines retaliated against her when she reported the assault, removed her from special projects, and demoted her.
Goesling also claimed that American conducted a flimsy investigation that did not determine if managers on the trip should be punished.
Sargeant told KentOnline in the UK that American Airlines manager Brett Hooyerink, whom he drank that night, had encouraged him to move on Goesling as he (Hooyerink) said the flight attendant was interested in him (Sargeant).
According to Sargeant, he went to Goesling’s hotel room that night with the wrong impression. Sergeant admitted to “attempting to kiss” the flight attendant, but he said he backed off when she refused and never sexually assaulted her.
Sargeant did not appear in court, but jurors watched a video deposition of his account of the event.
The jury reached a verdict after deliberating for two days. They were required to answer 13 questions, including whether Sargeant assaulted Goesling and whether former American Airlines manager Brett Hooyerink stood as a vice principal for the company on the trip.
The jury also deliberated on if the company participated in Goesling’s assault through Hooyerink, the acting vice-principal.
Goesling’s lawyer also claimed evidence showed that Hooyerink gave Goesling’s number to Sargeant.
The jury, consisting of nine women and six men, determined that while a sexual assault occurred, Hooyerink’s actions were not carried out on behalf of American Airlines, and the airline cannot be blamed. Goesling cannot receive the $25.6 million she sought in medical costs and damages with this verdict.
Goesling’s lawyer, Robert Miller, said his client spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the case.
“The decision was very difficult for Kimberly. She was stoic about it, but on the inside, she’s dying,” he said.
A spokeswoman for American Airlines, Lindsey Martin said the company works to ensure a safe and comfortable environment for its workers and does not tolerate inappropriate sexual conduct.
Americans had initially tried to block the suits from moving forward, but a Tarrant county judge ruled in November 2021 that Goesling could move forward with her case.
The airlines’ lawyer Shauna Wright said that Goesling’s lawsuit was about money more than justice.
According to Wright, American Airlines already terminated Sargeant, and Goesling should be targeting him personally, not the company. She argued that American Airlines should not pay for Sargaent’s actions.
Sargent has not been charged with a crime. According to Miller, the chef and his client reached a confidential settlement.
Claiming the judge left out evidence in the case, Miller said he and Goesling would be going for an appeal. According to the lawyer, evidence of unwanted advances to other female American employees by Sargeant before the alleged assault against Goesling was also ignored.