A white mother who was accused by Southwest Airlines employees of trafficking her multiracial daughter in Oct. 2021 has filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the company.
Mary MacCarthy was traveling to Denver from Los Angeles to attend her brother's funeral, with her 10-year-old daughter accompanying her, but once she landed in Denver, the pair were confronted by police officers due to a flight attendant's suspicion of potential human trafficking.
She's now suing the airline in federal court, saying the flight attendant's suspicion was based on a "racist assumption about a mixed-race family."
Mary MacCarthy, a white mother, is suing Southwest Airlines for "blatant racism" after being accused of trafficking her biracial daughter, Moira.
— BoreCure (@CureBore) August 6, 2023
The incident occurred while traveling to a funeral in Oct. 2021. MacCarthy alleges it was solely due to their different skin tones. pic.twitter.com/aqBHCN7zvN
The suit, filed Thursday in the District Court of Colorado, claims, "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.”
When MacCarthy and her daugher walked down the jet bridge after the plane landed, police pulled them to the side for questioning, according to the complaint.
"After significant questioning, during which Ms. MacCarthy’s daughter began to break down in tears, Ms. MacCarthy was eventually allowed to leave by the officers, but not before this display of blatant racism by Southwest Airlines caused Ms. MacCarthy and her daughter extreme emotional distress," the complaint added.
A previously released police report shows that the flight attendant told officials she was concerned because the "mom and daughter did not talk during the flight and she felt that it was odd," also stating that the "mother did not allow the child to talk to flight crew." The case was closed as "unfounded," with no further action taken.
MacCarthy also denied this claim, saying her daughter was listening to an audiobook for most of the flight, and that they had indeed spoken during the trip.
Southwest Airlines declined to comment in a statement to Newsweek, stating: "We don't have anything to add right now on this pending litigation."
In subsequent interviews with the press, MacCarthy has said she now carries her daughter's birth certificate with her in case she is questioned about her relationship with her child.
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The lawsuit demands a jury trial, attorney costs and fees, as well as damages to be determined during the trial.
The Washington Examiner contacted Southwest Airlines for response.