I would hope that they had other clues besides that before busting down the stall door, it could have been a handicapped person and an attendant. And yes, you are permitted (in the jurisdictions I'm familiar with) to have an attendant of the opposite gender in the loo with you.
“...it could have been a handicapped person and an attendant.”
As the lawyer for the said female in the article, that is exactly what she was doing. Interestingly, as another person here (”freepers” I believe you call yourselves) she was in the Men’s restroom because of the long lines at the Women’s restroom. Combined with a serious and painful medical situation that requires prompt use of the restroom facilities.
That’s our story and we’re sticking to it. ;)
I think this is another example of poor journalism, and the writer was meaning to convey that both sets of feet had underwear around them... an attendant hopefully wouldn’t be semi-naked in there as well. Not to mention, two people having sex are going to be in a LOT closer physical proximity for a lot longer than even a handicapped person and their pantsless assistant. And, last but not least, I’d expect the noises coming from the stalls would vary greatly in the two situations.