DALLAS (AP) — A choose has sanctioned Southwest Airlines, writing that the airline twisted his phrases and disregarded his order within the case of a flight attendant who claimed that she was fired for expressing her opposition to abortion.
U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr discovered Southwest in contempt for the way in which it defined the case to flight attendants final 12 months after shedding a jury verdict. In a blistering 29-page order, the choose stated the airline acted as if its personal coverage limiting what staff can say is extra vital than a federal regulation defending spiritual speech.
On Monday, the choose ordered Southwest to pay the flight attendant’s most up-to-date authorized prices, dictated an announcement for Southwest to relay to staff, and ordered three Southwest attorneys to finish “religious-liberty training” from a conservative Christian legal-advocacy group.
For Southwest, the sanctions add insult to damage. They stem from a roughly $800,000 judgment in opposition to the airline and the flight attendant’s union. Although that was lower than the jury’s $5.1 million award, Charlene Carter additionally bought her job again.
Carter, a longtime union critic, stated she was fired after she referred to as the union president “despicable” for attending the 2017 Women’s March in Washington, D.C. At the occasion, girls protested the inauguration of President Donald Trump and referred to as for safeguarding abortion rights amongst many points.
The airline and Local 556 of the Transport Workers Union stated Carter had made offensive posts on Facebook and harassed the union president in non-public messages.
The jury in a Dallas courtroom discovered that Southwest violated Carter’s proper to spiritual speech.
After the trial final 12 months, the choose — a Trump nominee who joined the bench in 2019 — ordered the airline to inform flight attendants that below federal regulation, it “may not discriminate against Southwest flight attendants for their religious practices and beliefs.”
Instead, the airline advised staff that it “does not discriminate” on spiritual beliefs, and doubled down by telling flight attendants to comply with the airline coverage that it cited in firing Carter.
In an order this week that alternated between sarcasm and outrage, Starr dominated that Southwest “didn’t come close to complying with the Court’s order.” He schooled the airline on the definitions of “may,” “does” and ”tolerate” – full with footnotes citing the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
The choose ordered Southwest to electronic mail a brand new, verbatim assertion declaring that the airline might not discriminate in opposition to flight attendants for spiritual beliefs “including – but not limited” to abortion.
Starr ordered three firm attorneys to bear eight hours of coaching this month by the Alliance Defending Freedom, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has referred to as an anti-LGBTQ hate group.
Starr labored within the Texas lawyer basic’s workplace for a number of years earlier than Trump nominated him for the federal bench. The Senate confirmed his nomination 51-39, voting alongside get together traces within the then-GOP-controlled physique.
Southwest didn’t instantly touch upon the choose’s order.
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