News

Another #MeToo mess: Pilot accused of drugged-rape by co-pilot, sues airline and accuser for ‘false claims’

November 4, 2018 | | Print Article

A fired senior Alaska Airlines pilot accused of having drugged and raped his then-co-pilot during a layover last year has filed suit against the airline and his alleged victim alleging that he was wrongly terminated earlier this year amid “false #MeToo claims.”

The suit claims that when the airline conducted a routine alcohol check on June 5, 2017, co-pilot Betty Pina freaked out and tried “[t]o avoid any potential workplace discipline” by falsely accusing pilot Paul Engelien of “drugging and sexually assaulting her.”

“In the face of Pina’s false #MeToo claims, Alaska (in part through the entities retained to conduct its workplace investigation, MFR and Reed) conducted a negligent, flawed, and pretextual investigation,” the suit reads.

“MFR and Reed determined Engelien had violated the 10-hour rule (but concluded Pina had not) based on the fact Engelien admitted he was an alcoholic and their belief that he was lying about time indications on his phone—a claim unequivocally refuted by experts Engelien hired and presented to Alaska.”

Alaska Airlines prohibits pilots from drinking within ten hours of flying. Though it’s unclear whether Pina and/or Engelien had indeed been drinking prior to the check, the suit notes that airline investigators concluded Engelion had been drinking but Pina hadn’t. The basis for this conclusion was the pilot’s admission to being an alcoholic.

The suit further notes that Pina, who’d been a probationary employee at the time, had a history of lying. During a similar incident last May, she allegedly blacked out after drinking too much but then blamed her actions on others.

Though her alleged rape by Engelien occurred in the summer of 2017, she waited until this past March to file a suit against Alaska Airlines and take her case public.

Watch her being interviewed by “Good Morning America” in the video below:

According to The Seattle Times, after reportedly settling with Alaska Airlines for an unreported amount, Pina apparently picked up a job with another airline. It’s unclear why she left Alaska.

“Based on MFR and Reed’s investigation, as well as its own, Alaska ultimately unlawfully terminated Engelien’s employ without just cause. Alaska, MFR, and Reed’s acts, as alleged below, have, like Pina’s, caused Engelien irreparable and extensive injuries and damages,” Engelien’s suit concludes.

While the #MeToo movement initially began as a legitimate effort to expose powerful men who exploit their privilege and wealth to abuse women, some believe it now serves as nothing more than a means for conniving women to make money, get attention and, assuming Engelien’s allegations are true, deflect blame.

The most notorious “false #MeToo claims” were those revolving around recently confirmed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. During his confirmation hearings in September and October, he was falsely accused by several women of sexual assault. Thanks to investigations by the Senate Judiciary Committee and the FBI, all the allegations were eventually disproved.

..

Listen below as Kavanaugh denies one of the allegations in the emotional clip below:

While it’s unclear who’s telling the truth in regard to the situation with Alaska Airlines, social media users don’t appear to believe Pina.

Look:

DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW

Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!

$10
$15
$25
$50
Other
$
Success! Thank you for donating. Please share BPR content to help combat the lies.
Vivek Saxena
Latest posts by Vivek Saxena (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

PLEASE JOIN OUR NEW COMMENT SYSTEM! We love hearing from our readers and invite you to join us for feedback and great conversation. If you've commented with us before, we'll need you to re-input your email address for this. The public will not see it and we do not share it.

Latest Articles