LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A White mother has sued Southwest Airlines for 'blatant racism' after a flight attendant called the police on her over suspicions that she was trafficking her mixed-race daughter. The lawsuit filed on Thursday, August 3, claimed that the incident took place on October 22, 2021, when Mary MacCarthy and her biological daughter Moira, 10, were flying from LA to Denver after her brother's sudden death.
The pair were traveling via the San Jose airport when a Southwest employee called the Denver Police Department to “report Ms MacCarthy for suspected child trafficking,” stated the lawsuit that was filed in US District Court in Colorado. “There was no basis to believe that Ms MacCarthy was trafficking her daughter. The only basis for the Southwest employee’s call was the belief that Ms MacCarthy’s daughter could not possibly be her daughter because she is a biracial child,” the court document continued. After the plane touched down, police took the duo taken away for interrogation as they walked down the jet bridge.
'It's okay sweetheart'
MacCarthy was visibly shaken by the accusations as she sobbed throughout the conversation and showed her identification to prove to police that Moira was her daughter. At the time, the single mother recorded the incident where a Southwest staffer and two airport cops explained why MacCarthy and her biological daughter have been pulled aside. The worried mother can be heard repeating, "It's okay sweetheart," many times as her terrified daughter sobs inconsolably in the three-minute video after being accosted by officials. "I have a daughter, who has unfortunately already been traumatized by police in her life," the concerned mother can be heard saying.
The mother-daughter duo was let go after a while but MacCarthy argues that during the interrogation, the airline engaged in "blatant racism," which left her daughter in "extreme emotional distress,” according to the lawsuit. The family is now seeking unspecified compensatory damages for emotional distress, mental anguish, and more, along with legal fees. Additionally, MacCarthy is also demanding changes in Southwest’s training and policies following the incident. “The Southwest employee on the plane reported Plaintiff MacCarthy to the police without any conversation or contact with either Plaintiff which would have raised suspicions in the mind of a reasonable person,” the lawsuit asserted, according NY Post.
Who is Mary MacCarthy?
MacCarthy lives in Los Angeles and is currently working as the VP of Marketing at Kubit, a series-A startup. She previously worked as a journalist with news organizations including France 24 and CNN, according to her LinkedIn. In her lawsuit, she accused Southwest Airlines of interfering with their contract based on race, resulting in a civil rights violation. "To this day, when Moira and I are out in public—and especially at airports or on planes—I'm hyperaware that we might be judged and reported for any interaction we have with each other," she told Newsweek, adding, "It's a strange feeling to be on alert about your most basic behaviors with your child, and it's exhausting. As for Moira [who is now 12], she still clams up and doesn't want to talk about what happened."
