Three Black men who were forced to deplane an American Airlines flight from Phoenix to New York earlier this year have settled a discrimination lawsuit with the company.
The three men filed a lawsuit alleging they and five other Black male passengers were ordered to deboard a plane on Jan. 5, after a flight attendant complained about an unidentified passenger’s body odor.
A press release from the Public Citizen Litigation Group, which represented the men in the lawsuit, said the plaintiffs were not responsible for any odor, were not seated together, and did not know each other before the incident.
American Airlines later fired the flight attendants responsible for their removal. The terms of the settlement are confidential but include a commitment by American to take action to prevent discrimination in the future.
In a statement, the three plaintiffs, Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, and Xavier Veal, wrote:
“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. 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.”
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