American Airlines settles discrimination lawsuit filed by three Black men
By Alexandra Skores, CNN
(CNN) — American Airlines has settled a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by three Black men who alleged they were thrown off a plane in January for a false complaint about body odor.
Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but it includes a commitment from the Fort Worth-based airline to prevent discrimination in the future.
The men were on a flight from Phoenix to JFK in New York on January 5 when they were asked to deboard after a flight attendant complaint about a body odor “without any valid reason, based solely on their race,” according to the original complaint. The men filed a lawsuit on May 29 in the Eastern District of New York.
An American Airlines spokesperson said in a statement that the agreement “allows all parties to move forward.”
“American Airlines is committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment to all customers,” the spokesperson said. “While we cannot comment on the specific details of the settlement, we have reached an amicable resolution regarding the lawsuit filed earlier this year.”
American has since fired the flight attendants responsible for the passengers’ removal, according to the firm representing the three men.
“We are very pleased that American Airlines took our complaint seriously and we hope that this never happens to Black passengers or any other people of color again,” said the three men, Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph and Xavier Veal, in a joint statement. “Our goal in speaking out has always been to create change. We are proud that we used our voices to make a difference in the lives of Black Americans.”
The suit alleged that the plaintiffs and five other Black male passengers were ejected from American Flight 832 after an American Airlines representative approached each of the men before takeoff, the complaint said, ordering them off the plane.
American representatives told the men a complaint about body odor had prompted their removal, according to the suit. None of the plaintiffs were told that they personally had body odor, “and in fact none of the Plaintiffs had offensive body odor,” it says.
American Airlines has been under fire in recent years after multiple reports of racial discrimination on aircraft.
The NAACP previously placed a travel advisory on the airline in October 2017 after reports of hostility toward Black passengers. That warning was lifted nine months later after the airline made progress in addressing the organization’s concerns.
In June, the NAACP renewed its call to American Airlines to ignite a change after the lawsuit news broke. Later, the airline said it would implement new measures, including creating an advisory group.
“Corporations have a pressing responsibility to ensure that customers are not mistreated on account of race,” said Michael Kirkpatrick, an attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group, who represented the plaintiffs, in the statement. “We appreciate that American Airlines treated this incident with the seriousness it deserves and agreed to correct course.”
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