Black social worker sues American Airlines, alleges she was suspected of kidnapping White toddler
The social worker for Riverside County, Calif., filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Black social worker has filed a lawsuit against American Airlines, alleging that crew members suspected her of kidnapping a White toddler who she accompanied on a fall flight
Social worker Shannon Murphy claims that American Airlines employees separated her from the 1-year-old boy she was escorting on an October 2019 flight and removed her from the aircraft for about 40 minutes out of suspicion that she was abducting the child, Business Insider reports.
Social worker Shannon Murphy claims that American Airlines employees separated her from the 1-year-old boy she was escorting on an October 2019 flight and removed her from the aircraft for about 40 minutes out of suspicion that she was abducting the child. (iStock)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The social worker for Riverside County, Calif., filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on June 17, accusing the carrier of violating her civil rights false and alleging imprisonment and negligence, per The Mercury News. The suit seeks unspecified damages, as well as compensation for both past and future medical expenses. In the wake of the Oct. 27 incident, Murphy said that she has been seeing a therapist, and suffering insomnia and nightmares.
According to the case, Murphy was accompanying the 1-year-old from a two-week, court-mandated visit to see his father in Arkansas, per Insider. While another unnamed passenger waited for the second leg of their flight to depart from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to Ontario International Airport in California, they told a flight attendant “that Ms. Murphy was holding a kidnap victim,” the Mercury News reports.
In a statement shared with Fox News, the carrier confirmed that the incident was being reviewed. (iStock)
Though the child in Murphy’s care had “very light skin” and blond hair, he was reportedly mistaken for an alleged, missing Hispanic child from New York City, who was 5 years old and had dark hair.
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Then, Murphy claimed, the airline staffers asked for her boarding pass, told her she needed to exit the aircraft with them and took the baby from her.
"I was shaking," she told Insider of the ordeal, in an interview published Thursday. "I was scared, even though I had documentation for this child."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Though Murphy tried to show American employees the necessary documentation she had on hand, including her work ID, the child's birth certificate and a signed copy of the court order for the journey, Murphy said that the staffers still insisted she leave the plane.
According to the outlet, upon later review of the documents, airline officials confirmed that there had been a mistake and Murphy was allowed back on the aircraft about 40 minutes later, she said. During this time, the flight had been delayed at the gate.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a statement shared with Fox News on Friday morning, the carrier confirmed that the incident was being reviewed.
“We are reviewing the lawsuit and the details of the flight. We take the safety and comfort of our customers very seriously and we’re committed to providing a positive experience for everyone who travels with us,” a spokesperson for American Airlines said.
The lawsuit claims that if the American employees had reviewed the social worker’s paperwork when the unnamed passenger first accused the Black woman of kidnapping the child, Murphy "would not have suffered the mental, physical and psychological harm flight personnel inflicted upon her."