Ex-Southwest flight attendant wins $5.1 million in discrimination suit

An ex-Southwest Airlines flight attendant won a $5.1 million verdict against the airline and her union Friday after a Dallas jury found it had discriminated against her regarding an anti-abortion rights stance that stems from her religious beliefs, the AP reports.

Driving the news: The former employee, Charlene Carter, filed the suit after she was fired in 2017 following a clash with the union president over union members' attendance at a demonstration in 2017 in Washington, D.C., for abortion rights, among other issues.

• Carter also alleged the union retaliated against her and had not fairly represented her because of her beliefs.

The other side: The airline said in court filings it had fired Carter because she could be identified as a Southwest employee while making “highly offensive” posts on her social media.

• The airline also cited what it called “harassing” messages Carter sent to the union president, including one that contained a graphic video of what was characterized as an aborted fetus, per AP.
• Both the posts and the private messages constituted violations of company policy, the airline said in its response to her suit.

State of play: In a statement after the verdict, Southwest said it “has demonstrated a history of supporting our employees’ rights to express their opinions when done in a respectful manner,” AP reported.

• Both the company and a lawyer for the union said they plan to appeal the jury’s verdict, per AP.
• If the verdict stands, Carter could receive $4.15 million from the airline. The union would owe her $950,000.