A former United pilot has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the carrier of discrimination, retaliation, and defamation following his termination last year.
In the complaint filed Oct. 13 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, John Paul Castillo III, a former C-130 combat pilot and United first officer, alleges the company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by firing him because it “regarded him as disabled due to a perceived alcohol-use disorder” and because he is Hispanic.
Castillo, hired in January 2023, began flying passengers that March. The complaint states that after a July 2023 arrest for suspected DUI — later dismissed — United “began pressuring Mr. Castillo to enter the Human Intervention Motivation Study (HIMS) Program,” which monitors pilots diagnosed with alcoholism. Castillo declined, pending an independent evaluation that later found “no alcohol-use disorder” and described the incident as “a one-off, aberrant event.”
Termination
According to the filing, United terminated him that November, citing a temporary lapse of his FAA medical certificate. Castillo contends that other pilots in similar situations were placed on unpaid leave.
“United’s decision to fire Mr. Castillo while allowing other pilots — including those actually diagnosed with alcohol-use disorder — to remain employed during FAA review demonstrates disparate treatment,” the lawsuit states.
The complaint alleges the company’s actions reflected “racialized stereotypes about Hispanic men and alcohol use,” adding that the perception “was not a neutral medical judgment but reflected bias.”
Alleged Retaliation
Castillo also claims United retaliated after he hired a lawyer. In one passage, he cites Chief Pilot Ernie Aller as telling a union representative that Castillo was terminated for “lawyering up and not communicating.”
The lawsuit says that the comment is “direct evidence” of retaliation.
Additionally, the complaint accuses United of defamation for allegedly reporting to the FAA that his dismissal stemmed from “pilot-performance issues.” The entry, the filing says, was “false and defamatory,” and remained in FAA records for roughly 18 months before correction in May 2025.
Castillo seeks reinstatement or front pay, back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and attorney fees.
