Woman Files Lawsuit Against Southwest Airlines After Being Accused Of Human Trafficking While Traveling With Biracial Daughter

In October 2021, Mary McCarthy and her 10-year-old child had taken a plane from California to Colorado to attend her brother’s funeral.

According to a lawsuit that was filed last Thursday, when they boarded their Southwest Airlines flight, a flight attendant notified the Denver Police Department that MacCarthy might be a child trafficker. The employee’s description of the woman and child stated that McCarthy’s skin color and her daughter’s didn’t match.

The complaint notes that the flight attendant never talked to McCarthy or her daughter throughout the flight.

When their plane landed at the Denver International Airport, McCarthy who is white, was questioned by two armed police officers as her daughter, who is Black, cried and was confused. After MacCarthy showed her identification and why she was traveling, the pair was let go.

Because of the occurrence, MacCarthy stated that her and her daughter experienced “emotional distress.” She is now looking to be compensated for economic, punitive, exemplary, and compensatory damages.

Still to this day, MacCarthy says that her daughter, who is biracial, becomes silent anytime the incident is brought up.

Back in 2021, Southwest Airlines said that they were reviewing the matter and would contact the customer to discuss what occured and to apologize.

David Lane, MacCarthy’s lawyer, said that the lawsuit has now been filed in order to hold the airline accountable and lead Southwest Airlines to take another look at their trainings and guidelines.