Lawsuit: Black Passengers Take Legal Action Against American Airlines for Alleged Discrimination
Three Black passengers take legal action against American Airlines, claiming racial discrimination and wrongful removal from a flight. The lawsuit accuses the airline of bias and unjust treatment based on false body odor complaints.
A lawsuit was filed on Wednesday on behalf of three Black men, claiming they were victims of race discrimination by American Airlines. The lawsuit states that Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, and Xavier Veal, along with five other Black male passengers, were removed from American Flight 832 from Phoenix to JFK on January 5, 2024. They were allegedly ejected from the flight solely based on their race, without any valid reason.
An American Airlines representative asked the men to leave the plane before takeoff. The men followed the request.
Once they stepped onto the jet bridge, they noticed that more Black men were also being asked to leave the plane. It seemed like American Airlines had instructed all the Black male passengers on Flight 832 to disembark.
American representatives informed the men that a complaint about body odor had led to their removal, as mentioned in the lawsuit. However, none of the plaintiffs were individually informed that they had body odor issues, and in reality, none of them actually had offensive body odor.
The lawsuit also alleges that at least one American representative agreed with the plaintiffs when they suggested that they were targeted because of their race.
The men were able to reboard the plane after an hour because the airline couldn't find any available flights that evening.
After reboarding, the plaintiffs had to endure the judgmental looks from the mostly white passengers who blamed them for the long delay. They felt traumatized, upset, scared, embarrassed, and degraded throughout the entire flight.
American Airlines stated that they take all discrimination claims seriously and aim to provide a positive experience for their customers when they fly with them.
They mentioned that their teams are currently looking into the issue, as the claims do not align with their core values or their purpose of caring for people.
The plaintiffs are asking for fair treatment, compensation for their pain and suffering, a punishment for American to prevent discrimination in the future, and payment for their lawyers.
The complaint mentions American's history of discriminating against Black passengers, which led to a warning from the NAACP in 2017. The warning was lifted nine months later when the airline took steps to address the issues raised by the organization.
The suit alleges that the plaintiffs’ treatment was part of that pattern.
This is a developing news story. It will be updated.
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