Copyright Westword
For years, Andrew Hill used his position as a United Airlines pilot to victimize his coworkers, distributing intimate images of the women online without their consent. Now, a new lawsuit argues that the airline is liable for the pilot’s predatory conduct. Flight attendant Lisa Denson of Adams County sued United Airlines in Colorado federal court on Tuesday, October 28. The lawsuit alleges that United failed to adequately respond to Hill’s behavior and created a hostile work environment for women due to insufficient sexual harassment training and reporting guidance. Hill was sentenced to five years in prison in December for posting sexually explicit photos of his ex-girlfriend, another United flight attendant, on pornographic websites. But she was not his only victim, the lawsuit claims. Hill posted intimate images of nearly a dozen women — including Denson and multiple other United employees — on pornographic websites, Reddit and Facebook, according to the lawsuit. The posts of Denson allegedly spanned seven years. Some of the images she had sent to Hill in confidence, while others Hill had taken in secret while the pair had sex or as Denson undressed out of her United Airlines uniform. “United Airlines had a duty to maintain a workplace free from discrimination and sexual harassment, to protect flight attendants like [Denson] from dangerous employees and supervisors, to investigate employees accused of misconduct and illegal conduct, and to remove dangerous employees from the work environment,” the lawsuit reads. “They breached these duties.” Detectives informed United Airlines that they were investigating Hill in April 2024, sharing their findings. However, the airline did not terminate Hill’s employment until after his arrest in July, the lawsuit claims, adding that Hill was only fired after “attempts to save his job” through the pilots’ union failed. The lawsuit further alleges that United took no action whatsoever in response to the criminal investigation. The airline reportedly did not launch its own investigation, place Hill on leave, reach out to the employees identified as victims, offer the victims support resources, or advise any employees about Hill’s alleged criminal conduct. United Airlines declined to comment on the lawsuit. A spokesperson told Westword, “We have nothing to share on this.” The lawsuit argues this is a pattern of behavior for the airline, referencing a 2018 case in which a flight attendant sued United after pilot Mark Uhlenbrock repeatedly posted sexually explicit images of her online. The unnamed flight attendant reported the harassment to United Airlines twice in 2011 and 2012, but the airline determined that the pilot’s conduct “did not constitute sex harassment in the workplace.” The pilot reportedly remained on United’s payroll until 2016 and was allowed to retire with full benefits, despite his being arrested in 2015 and sentenced to 41 months in prison. United ultimately paid the flight attendant $321,000 in damages and was required to revise its sexual harassment policies to include harassing conduct perpetrated through the internet or social media, according to the new Colorado lawsuit. “United Airlines has known for years that its employees, agents, volunteers, captains, and/or pilots were using their position within United Airlines to sexually harass and exploit its employees, including flight attendants,” the lawsuit reads. “Despite that knowledge, United Airlines failed to take reasonable steps to protect its employees.” Denson and Hill were in a consensual intimate relationship from 2016 to 2021 while they both worked for the airline. In 2017, Denson discovered that Hill had posted sexually explicit photos and videos of her on Reddit under the username “TinkGoneWild.” After confronting him, Hill told Denson he had removed the posts and would stop the behavior, according to the lawsuit. The pair continued dating until 2021, when Denson reportedly discovered that Hill had been cheating on her with multiple United Airlines employees. Hill allegedly went on to stalk and harass Denson, showing up at her home and calling her relentlessly. As a result, she was forced to adjust her flight schedules in an attempt to avoid working with Hill, the lawsuit claims. In 2024, police began investigating Hill after a different ex-girlfriend reported him for distributing revenge porn. During the investigation, authorities reportedly uncovered numerous posts featuring Denson, occurring regularly between 2017 and 2024. The posts included fully nude images of Denson. Some referred to her by name and identified her job as a United flight attendant. Hill had also used the photos to impersonate Denson to solicit sex, according to the lawsuit. “There is no possible way of knowing the true number of intimate images and videos depicting [Denson] which exist and are in circulation today,” the lawsuit reads. “Plaintiff lives in fear every day that her coworkers and passengers have seen the intimate images and videos of her online.” Hill, a former Aurora resident, remains in custody in Kane County Jail in Utah, according to the Utah Department of Corrections database. Denson is seeking at least $150,000 in damages for emotional and psychological injuries, plus court costs. In addition, the lawsuit requests that the court order United Airlines to institute and carry out policies for reporting, preventing, recognizing and responding to sexual harassment.
