White Mother Files Federal Lawsuit Against Southwest Airlines Alleging Discrimination

A white mother has filed a federal lawsuit against Southwest Airlines, alleging that she was racially discriminated and accused of human trafficking by an employee of the airline when she was traveling with her biracial daughter. The lawsuit claims that the mother and her daughter suffered extreme emotional distress and humiliation as a result of the false accusation.

According to the lawsuit, Mary MacCarthy and her 10-year-old daughter Moira were flying from California to Denver in October 2021 to attend MacCarthy’s brother’s funeral. While they were in the air, a Southwest employee called the Denver Police Department and reported MacCarthy for suspected child trafficking, based solely on the different skin color of her daughter from her own.

When MacCarthy and her daughter arrived at the Denver airport, they were stopped and questioned by two police officers, who made it clear that they were acting on the information provided by the Southwest employee. MacCarthy had to show her identification and explain her relationship with her daughter, who was crying and scared. After several minutes of interrogation, they were allowed to leave, but not before experiencing a “display of blatant racism” by Southwest Airlines, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit also alleges that Southwest Airlines has a history of racially profiling mixed-race families traveling together, citing a similar incident that occurred in January 2021 involving a white father and his black daughter. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for the violation of MacCarthy’s and her daughter’s civil rights, as well as a written apology from the airline.

Southwest Airlines declined to comment on the pending litigation, but said in a statement that it was “disheartened” by MacCarthy’s account and that it was conducting a review of the situation internally. The airline also said that its employees undergo robust training on human trafficking and that it prides itself on providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for its customers.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, msn.com, cnn.com