Former state prosecutor plans racial discrimination suit after removal from JetBlue flight

A former state prosecutor who says she and her two sons were kicked off a JetBlue flight in December is now planning to sue, claiming it was a result of racial discrimination.

News 12 Staff

Feb 14, 2020, 10:37 PM

Updated 1,692 days ago

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A former state prosecutor who says she and her two sons were kicked off a JetBlue flight in December is now planning to sue, claiming it was a result of racial discrimination.
On Dec. 22, 2019, former state prosecutor Julie Goggin says she and her two sons were removed from their flight after she inquired about why her sons, who she purchased extra legroom seats for, were relocated to the back of the plane.
The reason Goggin was given was a weight distribution issue. She says after the flight attendant told her she would not receive a refund for the seats, she asked to speak with a supervisor.
Goggin alleges the supervisor then informed her that the flight attendant was uncomfortable with her being on the flight and wanted her removed.
This is the second incident in a short amount of time involving JetBlue believed to have been sparked by racism. A month earlier, Brooklyn native Shaun Lynda claimed he was profiled.
"It's bigger than Miss Goggin's case, it's bigger than Mr. Lynda's case, it's JetBlue in terms of how they train their staff to deal with people of African ancestry or minorities in general," says attorney Roger Archibald.
Goggin has filed a claim with the U.S. Department of Transportation and is planning to sue.
In a statement, a JetBlue spokesperson says, "JetBlue takes any claim of discrimination very seriously, and we will thoroughly investigate any concerns brought to us by our customers. JetBlue serves over 40 million customers a year without incident, and diversity is incredibly important to us."