(ConservativeSense.com) – Charlene Carter carries strong convictions against abortion after terminating a pregnancy 37 years ago at 19. She calls it the worst mistake of her life but admits it strengthened her spiritual convictions and prompted her to advocate for the unborn. She claimed her passionate advocacy resulted in her termination from a job she loved. Now, a judge has ordered Southwest Airlines to rehire the flight attendant and pay her damages, back wages, and interest.
In February 2017, Carter sent strongly worded Facebook messages to Audrey Stone, the president of Local 556, the Transport Workers Union. She chastised Stone for spending union funds to attend the Women’s March in January 2017 in Washington, DC, because Planned Parenthood, an abortion provider, helped sponsor the event.
Southwest Airlines must rehire a former flight attendant who successfully sued the airline, claiming she was fired for her anti-abortion views. https://t.co/MKBNFWNZFa pic.twitter.com/Rj66XGvUrH
— Law360 (@Law360) December 6, 2022
Stone never replied to or blocked Carter, but she contacted Southwest. The company called the employee into a meeting and ultimately fired her after nearly 21 years of service. Carter sued the airline and the union in 2017 to prevent other union employees from facing similar treatment and to regain her job. In July, a jury found in her favor, awarding her $5.3 million. The monetary award was ultimately reduced due to Title VII damage caps.
On Monday, December 5, Judge Brantley Starr of the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas awarded Carter $300,000 each from Southwest Airlines and Local 556, $150,000 in lost wages, $60,180.82 in interest, and ordered her reinstatement as a flight attendant. The judge scolded Southwest for the company’s “intolerance.”
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