Flight attendants blocked from ritzy Dodgers charter for not being 'blond, blue-eyed': lawsuit
The flight attendants claimed they needed 'extensive' interviews despite 15 years experience
An unruly passenger aboard a United flight from San Francisco to Houston reportedly attacked a flight attendant and tried to jump out of the plane before takeoff. (Naya Jimenez / BON VOYAGED /TMX)
Two flight attendants from United Airlines claim in a lawsuit that a charter flight for the Dodgers denied them a position because the players preferred women who were "white, young, thin."
"United fosters an environment of inclusion and does not tolerate discrimination of any kind," United Airlines told Reuters in a statement. "We believe this lawsuit is without merit and intend to defend ourselves vigorously."
The flight attendants have alleged they didn’t fit the "certain look" preferred by the players and the airline denied them the roles on the basis of race and other physical biases: Dawn Todd, 50, is Black, and Darby Quezada, 44, is of mixed Mexican, Black and Jewish descent.
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United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told NBC's "Today" Show that "the point of the policy is to get people to get an airplane flying out more often and all of the sudden – you can’t help it, it’s human nature – if you tell an employee this is going to co … ( Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)
In their lawsuit filed Wednesday with the Los Angeles County Superior Court, the duo stress their experience of over 15 years with the airline. They are seeking unspecified damages for the alleged discrimination.
The Dodgers are not named as defendants, and a team spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times that the Dodgers do not comment on pending litigation.
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Detailed view of a Dodgers logo on a players uniform during a regular season game between the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers on May 17, 2023, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images / Getty Images)
United Airlines settled a previous case that alleged the airline of staffing flights with "young, white, female and predominately blonde/blue-eyed" attendants. The new lawsuit uses that 2020 settlement as the basis for the new case, saying "things changed again in 2022 when several white United flight attendants were added to the ‘dedicated crew.’"
"But, unlike Todd and Quezada, these white United flight attendants did not have to interview for those coveted positions," the lawsuit alleged, stressing that the plaintiffs could only obtain a position after "extensive" interviews.
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Buildings left to right: Los Angeles Superior Court at the United States Courthouse; James K. Hahn City Hall East; Hall of Justice; Los Angeles City Hall (tall) and Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center. Photographed in Los Angeles, CA on Fr … (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)
They also alleged that following their interviews and entry into the program, the duo received fewer assignments on the Dodgers flights and ended up demoted after a time, with Quezada eventually was removed "without any justification."
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Meanwhile, Todd faced demeaning treatment from other employees and managers who referred to her as "the flight’s maid."
The lawsuit states that Todd and Quezada lost income due to the company’s treatment, as well as a number negative impacts to their health from panic attacks, anxiety and drop in self-esteem. They are seeking a jury trial.