A Southwest Airways pilot is suing the corporate, her union and a former colleague who pleaded responsible final 12 months to dead-bolting the cockpit door throughout a flight and stripping bare in entrance of her.
Christine Janning alleges that Southwest retaliated by grounding her after she reported Michael Haak to the corporate and the FBI that it saved him employed regardless of an alleged historical past of sexual misconduct and that managers disparaged her in memos.
She additionally alleges that the Southwest Airways Pilots Affiliation conspired with the airline and refused to help her. She is suing Haak for sexual assault. He pleaded responsible final 12 months to a federal misdemeanor cost of committing a lewd, indecent or obscene act and was sentenced to probation.
Haak's lawyer, Michael Salnick, stated Wednesday that his consumer disrobed solely after Janning inspired him to and by no means did the rest. Neither Southwest nor the union responded to cellphone calls looking for remark.
In keeping with the lawsuit filed final week in Orange County, Florida, Janning had by no means met Haak earlier than August 2020, when she was his co-pilot on a flight from Philadelphia to Orlando. She says Haak, a 27-year veteran of the airline, had used his seniority rights the day gone by to bump one other pilot who had been scheduled to command the flight. Janning believes that is as a result of he noticed a lady was the scheduled co-pilot.
Janning stated that once they reached cruising altitude, Haak informed her this was his closing flight and there was one thing he needed to do earlier than retirement.
"Consensual prank"
She stated he bolted the door so no flight attendant may enter. He then allegedly put the aircraft on autopilot, stripped off his garments, started watching pornography on his laptop computer and dedicated a lewd act for half-hour whereas taking pictures and movies of himself.
Salnick stated it was Janning who requested Haak if there was something he needed to do earlier than retiring. When he replied he needed to fly bare, she informed him to go forward after which made sexual advances after he disrobed, Salnick stated. He stated Haak rejected these and adamantly denied a lewd act occurred.
At his sentencing listening to final 12 months, Haak referred to as the incident "a consensual prank" that obtained out of hand.
Janning's lawyer, Frank Podesta, denied she inspired Haak or made any advances.
Janning stated within the lawsuit that she was "horrified," however she saved flying the aircraft whereas taking pictures "to create a document." The aircraft landed safely. And that wasn't Haak's closing flight — he flew for 3 extra weeks.
In the meantime, Janning did not report the incident to a Southwest worker relations investigator till three months later. She stated she waited as a result of her boss had disparaged her to a male colleague beforehand. She stated she requested the investigator to not inform her boss, however she did.
Janning says she was quickly informed that as a result of Haak had retired, the airline's investigation was closed. Janning then went to the FBI, who charged Haak. She alleges Southwest had despatched Haak to a Montreal sexual harassment counseling middle after a 2008 incident with a flight attendant.
Retaliation alleged
Janning stated as retaliation for the FBI report, she was grounded for greater than three months, costing her a part of her wage. She was then required to take "pointless" flight simulator coaching earlier than she may work once more.
She additionally alleged that on the day she was grounded, the airline stranded her in Denver and the FBI needed to guide her a United Airways flight so she may return residence to Florida. She stated a Southwest supervisor despatched a memo to greater than 25 staff "that made baseless allegations" about her flying competency.
Janning stated that when she contacted the union, its leaders did nothing to assist her however did write a letter to Haak's decide throughout his misdemeanor case saying he had a "spotless" document.
No hearings have been scheduled.