Posted on 02/16/2006 4:43:11 AM PST by billorites
The Exeter woman who lost a racial discrimination lawsuit against Southwest Airlines says she will not appeal because she does not want to be humiliated in public again.
Nadine Thompson, a cosmetics executive, said she has no desire to again be characterized "as a fat, black, foul-mouthed ghetto momma.
"It was the most humiliating thing I've ever gone through in my life," she told the Portsmouth Herald.
Thompson accused Southwest of discriminating against her by singling her out on the flight and requesting she buy a second seat. The airline said its employees made mistakes in the way they attempted to follow a policy of having large passengers buy a second seat, but denied any racial discrimination.
A U.S. District Court jury rejected Thompson's discrimination complaint on Friday.
Afterward, Thompson said she did not have a jury of her peers, because all of the jurors were white.
But juror Lance Hellman of Portsmouth, said race had nothing to do with the verdict.
Hellman said he knew nothing about the case when he was chosen for the jury, and sympathized with Thompson when he first saw her in court.
"Here was this overweight black woman being picked on by the big airline," he said. "It was kind of a David vs. Goliath thing, I thought. And I've always been partial to David."
In 2003, Thompson was asked to leave a Southwest flight in Manchester and talk to airline employees about buying two tickets, according to its "customer of size" policy. There, according to testimony, she became verbally abusive and was escorted out of the airport terminal by sheriff's deputies.
Southwest employees said the only mistake it made was telling Thompson that she needed to pay the extra fare for her outbound flight; since she already had boarded the plane, she wasn't required to do so.
Southwest officials said they never used racist words and were concerned solely with her size.
During the four-day trial, Hellman said it became apparent that Thompson didn't have a case.
"She was trying to make an issue of race and it was really her weight," he said. In deliberations, Hellman said, it quickly became apparent that everyone felt the same way.
He said he was particularly swayed by the testimony of an airline employee who said Thompson called him "a racist (expletive)."
"I could sympathize with her anger. But she lost it," he said.
Hellman said he felt Thompson was implying he was racist when she said there was no one on the jury "to advocate for race."
"Nothing could be further from the truth," he said.
Thompson said she respects that the jurors did the best they could, "but it was not a jury of my peers. There wasn't even an ethnic minority there to advocate for me."
Hellman said he would be glad to meet Thompson and talk with her.
"I am sympathetic for the underdog. And I can understand her not wanting to feel undervalued," he said. "But I think she has some growing to do."
" I’m not fat. I’m big-boned "
You mean a jury out there actually used...dare I say it...COMMON SENSE????
I wonder if she ever appologized for telling a one of the SW employees that she wished he and his family died of cancer? I doubt it because folks like her are unable to see what they really do to those around them.
"she has some growing to do."
I hope not, or next time she travels by air she'll be asked to pay for TWO extra seats.
All joking aside, it is refreshing to see that this didn't become another runaway jury, but that the people showed some common sense instead.
"But I think she has some growing to do."
Isn't she grown enough???
First she says she was kicked off the plane because of racism, and now her case was tossed out of court because of racism. Poor lady sees Evil whitey behind every lamppost I bet.
WATCH OUT!!! The man is comin to geya!!! BOO!!!!!
Then after claiming the verdict was racist she says she won't appeal because she doesn't want to be humiliated again --- more likely her attorney said "PAY ME NOW!!! You have no friggin case you moron!!!"
The tricky thing about law suits is that they are not fun. I don't know what this woman expected but anytime you put yourself out there you are subject to ridicule. I guess she thought she would be another civil rights hero and just ended up looking like another drama queen looking for an easy buck and used her race instead of the real problem to file a lawsuit.
Ah, you &**(^. You beat me to it! :)
There's an unfortunate turn of a phrase
What makes you think she works?
Hmmm, well its either be the white man's fault or Bushs' fault.
Ms. Thompson weighs 300 lb.
http://www.ktvu.com/travelgetaways/7049348/detail.html
"Here was this overweight black woman being picked on by the big airline," he said. "It was kind of a David vs. Goliath thing"
This could be unintentionally funny. Is the airline Goliath or is it the woman?
How would you like to have to work with that women. Jeesh!
Nadine Thompson
I have. That's one of the reasons I own my own business.
The other reason is so I can post on FR when I choose to ;-)
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