Summary
- American Airlines flight attendants were awarded damages after the court found their uniforms caused severe health issues, including respiratory distress and rashes.
- The uniforms were reported to contain formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals.
- The uniform manufacturer was found to be a “substantial think about causing harm” but not found negligent. Flight attendants hope for similar settlements for others.
4 flight attendants at American Airlines have been awarded damages after a court found that the uniforms they were wearing were causing them to turn out to be ailing. The California court granted a combined sum of $1 million but didn’t find the corporate negligent.
A touch of formaldehyde
The brand new uniforms were introduced in September 2016. They got here from the supplier Twin Hill, a former subsidiary of Tailored Brands, the defendants within the lawsuit. The manufacturers initially produced over 1.2 million garments and accessories for American Airlines, with the brand new uniforms being distributed to staff that autumn.
Flight crew soon began to report reactions to the brand new uniforms, including severe respiratory distress, rashes, headaches, fatigue, stomach problems, thyroid issues, and hives. The variety of complaints rose into the hundreds, and the airline responded by allowing the crew to wear alternative uniforms and off-the-rack alternatives. Tracey Silver-Charan, one among the workers within the court case, told The Associated Press among the reactions she experienced:
“I might get up and my eyes can be completely swollen. I looked like I had been in a boxing match.”
“I used to be unable to breathe. I often felt like I used to be going to pass out on the job. I used to be coming home and my husband was running me to the urgent care.”
Photo: American Airlines
In response to the lawsuit, the flight attendants found that their uniforms contained traces of formaldehyde, toluene, and other toxic chemicals. Using resins containing formaldehyde just isn’t unusual as a treatment to assist clothes last and stay freed from wrinkles. American Airlines subsequently terminated its contract with Twin Hill and switched to Lands’ End for its latest uniforms, which have been known to cause any opposed reactions. Tailored Brands divested itself of the Twin Hill Acquisition Company in August 2019.
Making a case
In 2017, 425 employees filed lawsuits against the garment manufacturer on the Alameda County Superior Court in California. The proceedings are sometimes referred to as a bellwether trial, with a small variety of the cases being considered to get an idea of how the remaining cases will play out.
The plaintiffs’ lawyers chosen two representatives for the group of flight attendants, with the defense attorneys for the uniform manufacturer selecting one other two flight crew members. The California jury found that the uniforms provided by Twin Hill Acquisition Company were a “substantial think about causing harm” to the flight attendants. When asked if Twin Hill was negligent in designing and supplying its products, the jury unanimously voted no. Daniel Balaban, the workers’ lead attorney, expressed his belief that the 4 cases seen were representative of the greater set of claimants:
“We expect that the good majority of the opposite 400+ flight attendants we represent are much like the 2 bellwethers we selected, which can either result in a considerable similar settlements for them or similar leads to future trials.”
Photo: Denver International Airport
The $1 million was split between the 4 flight attendants in various percentages. Essentially the most significant single amount was $750,000 for an worker who was forced to take unpaid leave, with one other crewmember receiving $320,000 for lost income. Two others were awarded proposed damages of $10,000 and $5,000 in damages related to less severe health effects.
Source: Washington Post, Associated Press