Security officer in passenger dragging incident files lawsuit against United
An aviation security officer involved in the infamous United Airlines passenger dragging incident of last year has filed a lawsuit against the airline.
He blames United for his subsequent firing, saying airline employees knew calling aviation police would likely lead to the use of physical force.
Chicago Department of Aviation officer James Long also sued his former employer and said Chicago Aviation commissioner Ginger Evans slandered him by saying DCA officers were not armed ‘for good reasons’.
"These false statements imply that Long was not acting in his capacity as a police officer," the suit alleged.
Long claims he wasn’t properly trained to deal with passengers behaving badly during an ‘escalating’ situation.
Long was one of the officers called to the United flight at Chicago when David Dao, 69, refused to be bumped from the flight.
Video footage showed Dao being dragged violently from the plane, causing an outcry.
Long was first suspended and then fired several months later.
Long is suing for back pay since his termination and ‘compensatory damages.’
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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