Northern District Court Allows Lawsuit Against United Airlines Anti-Muslim Discrimination to Proceed

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Northern District Court Allows Lawsuit Against United Airlines Anti-Muslim Discrimination to Proceed

(Chicago, IL 01/23/19)- The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) today applauded the Northern District Court, Eastern Division’s decision regarding a motion on an ongoing case regarding a Muslim family who was harassed and removed from a United Airlines flight in 2016.

The Shebley family boarded the flight from Chicago to Washington DC where they were told to leave the plane after asking for a booster seat for their child. The flight staff consequently gave no response regarding the exact reason for their removal.The family came to CAIR-Chicago for further representation.

CAIR-Chicago filed a lawsuit against United Airlines shortly thereafter on behalf of the Shebley family alleging discrimination from United staff. United responded with a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. On January 16th, 2019, the Northern District Court reached a decision to let the lawsuit proceed on one count against United.

“We’re pleased to see that the court is willing to challenge the prejudiced behavior Muslims face whenever they travel. Despite being allowed to move forward on only one of three counts, we’re committed to fighting for justice for the Shebley family. We want justice to be served for the suffering they faced while trying to take a vacation to their nation’s capital,” Sanjana Lakshmi, with CAIR-Chicago's Civil Rights Department, said.

CAIR-Chicago is the Chicago office of America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Our mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote tolerance.

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CONTACT: CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab, 202-870-0166, arehab@cair.com; CAIR-Chicago Communications Coordinator Saadia Pervaiz, 312-212-1520, spervaiz@cair.com; CAIR-Chicago Communications Coordinator Asha Binbek, 312-212-1520, abinbek@cair.com