A federal judge has dismissed a class action lawsuit against American Airlines and uniform manufacturer Twin Hill over claims that American’s employee uniforms caused health issues.
The lawsuit, filed in 2017 by a group of American pilots, flight attendants, and customer service agents, alleged that new uniforms introduced in 2016 contained harmful chemicals that triggered symptoms like rashes, headaches, and respiratory problems.
However, U.S. District Judge John Tharp Jr. granted summary judgment in favor of the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline and Twin Hill, finding that the plaintiffs failed to give sufficient evidence that the uniforms were defective or caused their reported health issues.
In his 45-page ruling, Judge Tharp determined that expert testimony presented by the plaintiffs was inadmissible under federal evidence rules. The judge found that the plaintiffs’ experts failed to identify any specific chemicals or explain how the uniforms could have plausibly caused the reported symptoms.
“Neither expert identified a chemical, dosage, environment, proximity, or duration of exposure that could have plausibly caused the plaintiffs’ symptoms,” Judge Tharp wrote.
Without this information, he said a jury would be forced to engage in “uninformed speculation.”
The judge also noted that even if some Twin Hill uniforms contained defects, there was no evidence that the specific uniforms worn by the plaintiffs were defective, given the wide variations in clothing types and manufacturing.
American had argued that the reported symptoms could have been caused by other factors, pointing out that many of the chemicals detected on the uniforms are common in household items. The airline also highlighted that it allowed employees to wear alternative uniforms after complaints arose.
An Eight-Year Lawsuit
This ruling effectively ends the long-running lawsuit against the airline and Twin Hill over the uniform issues. Though similar lawsuits have previously been successful elsewhere over the years.
In 2023, AP News reported that a California jury ruled for a clothing manufacturer to pay over $1 million to four American flight attendants. This lawsuit involved similar complaints that the uniforms caused rashes, headaches, and breathing problems.
American debuted new uniforms in November 2018 after it dropped its contract with Twin Hill due to health complaints.
