They are seeking damages from the airline.
Lawsuits against airlines are not uncommon, but recent allegations by workers are beyond belief. Two former United Airlines employees are accusing the carrier of mistreatment, The Independent reported. One woman has sued the company for sexual harassment and wrongful termination, while a pilot alleges he was forced into alcoholism treatment instead of receiving care for a head injury.
Related: Accused of Trafficking His Own Wife, Black Passenger Sues American Airlines for Discrimination
Employee Harassment
Chantel Matthews, 41, began ramp-agent training with United at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., when her says her supervisor greeted her on Day 1 with an inappropriate remark: “Welcome to United. You are fine as hell. Please complete your employee profile at any computer desk.” According to lawsuit documents reviewed by The Independent, the supervisor repeatedly harassed Matthews—asking if she modeled, texting her after hours, requesting her Instagram profile and telling her “your body is banging.” The lawsuit also claims he asked her out, which she refused, then texted her asking what kind of men she liked. When she rebuffed him, he began retaliating.
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Three days into the job, she alleges that he cited a dress-code violation even though she wore the same outfit she had worn the day before, threatening to report her. When she objected and said she would report him for sexual harassment, he allegedly said, “Ms. Matthews, you can try. Sh-t is not going to happen to me. I have been with United for 19 years.”
Matthews reported him to her staffing agency and to United’s human resources department. Meanwhile, she completed training but was abruptly reassigned from the ramp to the command center—a move she believes was retaliation for complaining to HR. There, she claims her new team leader ordered her to remove a 300-pound dead body from a plane. After she couldn’t lift it, she told the team leader she could not complete the task. He threatened to remove her from the job if she did not comply. When she tried again, she injured her neck and shoulder.
A United medical examiner diagnosed her with severe muscle sprains and placed her on light duty. Weeks later, she was told she had reached the maximum allotted time for light duty and needed to file a workers’ compensation claim instead of returning to work. Months later, an HR representative informed her that the supervisor had violated company guidelines and that her complaint would be forwarded to the appropriate parties. However, while Matthews was on medical leave, United terminated her contract. The supervisor remains employed.
She is seeking lost wages, punitive damages, attorney fees and back pay.
Pilot’s Plight
Captain Mike Tallon, 56, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Chicago on July 3, describing an ordeal that began during a 2023 layover in the Azores when he fell on a cobblestone path and hit his head. He experienced slurred speech and confusion and returned to his hotel room to rest. Knowing he couldn’t fly, he removed himself from the schedule. United asked his co-pilot if he had been drinking; the co-pilot said no but suggested a concussion. The airline raised concerns after Tallon admitted he had a drink at dinner.
Tallon says United and the Air Line Pilots Association pressured him to admit to alcoholism. He initially refused, but an association representative warned he would lose his job if he did not enroll in the program. Instead of treating his head injury, he says he was sent to a rehab center and released after four weeks without a diagnosis. He alleges he was then pressured to sign up for the Human Intervention Motivation Study (HIMS), a substance-abuse recovery program.
His physician was surprised by the lack of head-injury treatment and noted no signs of alcoholism. United’s Employee Assistance Program representative allegedly told him, “If I hear you say one more time that you are NOT in recovery, you will be out of compliance with the program.” His therapist and sponsor also said he did not have a problem. In early 2024, following an intensive outpatient program, a counselor again found no signs of alcoholism. Yet a United physician allegedly referred him for neuropsychological testing for alcoholism; that doctor sent him home without a diagnosis, a second psychologist reached the same conclusion and a third opinion was also negative.
Tallon was ultimately fired in 2025 after refusing to reschedule the neurocognitive test. He submitted all medical records to United. The lawsuit alleges the airline saved millions in long-term disability payments by pushing him through HIMS instead of treating his head trauma.
He is seeking damages for lost wages, reputational harm, attorney fees and emotional distress, and wants the airline to reform its HIMS program.
United declined to comment on either case.