Michigan couple suing American Airlines after being kicked off the flight due to body odor

A Jewish couple from Michigan, Yehuda Yosef Adler and Jennie Adler together with their 19-month old daughter were kicked off from their flight from Miami to Detroit on January 23, 2019, by a gate agent. According to the agent, he is very aware of the people’s race and religion and so, Orthodox Jews only showered once a week. In line with that incident, they filed a lawsuit in Texas five days after which is where the airline is headquartered.

American Airlines released a statement implying that they removed the Southfield family after the passengers and even its crew members complained about Yehuda Adler’s odor. The team took care of the Southfield’s family by providing hotel accommodations, meals, and also took the initiative to rebooked their flight to Detroit the following morning. Also, they reiterate that the decisions were not based on Adler’s religion and they are being careful in handling this sensitive situation.

A couple of minutes after sitting down inside the aircraft, one of the gate agents told the family that there was an emergency. They were then asked to get off the plane. Those thoughts are inclusive of the lawsuit filed file by a Jewish couple. Besides, they were told that it was due to their body odor and the said instruction came from the pilot of the said flight. The couple was then shocked because this is the first time that they’ve received complaints regarding their body odor on flights. In addition, according to them, they had showered that morning.

Due to the incident, they were distraught and that despite their embarrassment, they were able to approach around 20 people in the boarding area to survey If they could detect an unpleasant body odor from the whole family.

On the day of the incident, Yehuda Adler is wearing a yarmulke. To give you an idea, a yarmulke is a brimless cap that is made of cloth. Traditionally, it is being worn by Jewish males to fulfill the customary requirement that the head is covered. The men in Orthodox communities’ wear this at all the time. In place of this, the couple alleges that American Airlines treated them differently and not being transparent due to their religious beliefs. The family is now seeking punitive damages to discrimination and as per the lawsuit, they do not have that offensive body odor.