American Airlines Flight Attendants Win $1 Million in Toxic Uniforms Case
Six years after claiming their uniforms made them sick, a California jury ruled that four American Airlines flight attendants should receive $1 million in damages. And that could be just the beginning for uniform manufacturer Twin Hill, as more than 400 other flight attendants have made the same claim against the company.
A jury in Alameda County Superior Court in California announced the verdict last week, which is pending formal approval by a judge. An attorney representing the flight attendants told The Associated Press that the ruling is merely a technicality and they expect judicial approval.
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Tracey Silver-Charan, one of the plaintiffs and a flight attendant of 37 years, was awarded $320,000 in the verdict by the jury, and Brenda Sabbatino received $750,000, according to The Washington Post.
In 2016, American Airlines provided new uniforms to flight attendants after more than a decade of wearing the same outfits. But soon after, complaints began flooding in with flight attendants reporting headaches, skin rashes, swollen eyes and other ailments.
“I would wake up and my eyes would be completely swollen. I looked like I had been in a boxing match,” Silver-Charan told The Associated Press. “I was unable to breathe. I often felt like I was going to pass out on the job. I was coming home and my husband was running me to the urgent care.”
In 2017, more than 400 employees of American Airlines and its affiliates filed a lawsuit alleging health problems such as Sliver-Charan’s were caused by formaldehyde applied to the cotton blouses in their uniforms. The chemical, which was used to prevent wrinkles, can potentially cause skin and eye irritation in some people.
Silver-Charan told The Washington Post that American Airlines told employees they could wear their old uniforms or buy new outfits from mass merchants such as Macy’s if necessary, but she would still be affected if she was around co-workers wearing the uniforms.
“I would get sick,” she told The Post. “And this was happening to thousands of us.”
American Airlines terminated its contract with Twin Hill and switched to Lands’ End for its uniforms in 2020.
This isn’t the first uniform suit for Twin Hill. In 2013, flight attendants working for Alaska Airlines filed a lawsuit against the company related to uniforms they were given in 2010 and 2011. Flight attendants complained of rashes and other skin and eye irritation, but Twin Hill ultimately won the trial, which did not reach the jury stage. Alaska Airlines eventually replaced its uniforms.
A similar suit was filed three years ago by employees of Delta Airlines against Lands’ End, alleging toxic uniforms caused health issues. That lawsuit was unsuccessful.
Tailored Brands, former parent company of Twin Hill, was removed as a defendant in the lawsuit prior to the verdict. Twin Hill hasn’t responded to request for comment.
