A former Delta Air Lines flight attendant with 18 years of service has filed a lawsuit claiming she was fired after reporting workplace antisemitism, including allegations that the company used AI-generated deepfake videos to justify her termination.
Sharon Lavy's lawsuit, filed in New York last month, details what she describes as an orchestrated campaign of retaliation following her complaints about antisemitic behavior and pro-Hamas coworkers. The case represents the second such lawsuit from an Israeli flight attendant against the airline in recent months.
According to court documents, Delta allegedly fabricated multiple incidents to build a case against Lavy, including claims that she ate steak during passenger boarding and instructed a passenger to make their own coffee. Most notably, the lawsuit alleges the airline used a deepfake video showing her working on an aircraft model she was never trained to operate. The lawsuit notes that complaint letters against her suspiciously used airline industry terminology rather than common language.
The lawsuit also highlights a May 2023 incident where Delta allegedly failed to make an emergency landing after a violent passenger attacked another Israeli flight attendant – a departure from standard safety procedures that Lavy claims would have been followed for non-Jewish crew members.
Following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Lavy and 44 Israeli colleagues raised concerns about working alongside employees who had publicly expressed support for Hamas. The lawsuit alleges that while Delta management acknowledged these complaints, they took no meaningful action, despite the organization being designated as a terrorist group in the United States.
Lavy, who was promoted to flight service manager during her tenure, claims the harassment caused her significant mental and physical harm, including insomnia, difficulty eating, and weight loss. She ultimately requested reduced hours to avoid continued abuse.
"Delta has zero tolerance for discrimination of any form or retaliation in our workplace," the airline said in response to media inquiries about the pending litigation.
The case joins several other recent discrimination lawsuits against Delta, including claims from Jewish employees regarding religious accommodation issues. Lavy is seeking unspecified damages and legal costs, along with broader workplace reforms.
Ynet contributed to this article.
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