KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- A case involving a flight attendant's twist on a rhyme has ended up in court.
Lawsuit Over 'Racist' Rhyme Goes To Jury
Judge Kathryn H. Vratil ruled last year that the case could proceed to trial, which began and ended Tuesday before an eight-member jury.
But a jury says Southwest Airlines is not responsible for a comment by one of its flight attendants that offended two black passengers.
Jurors in Kansas City decided Southwest is not liable after a flight attendant used a rhyme to urge people to take their seats.
The Southwest Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Kansas City was waiting to depart, when flight attendant Jennifer Cundiff tried to jolly passengers out of the aisle.
Over the intercom, the Argyle, Texas, attendant announced: "Eenie, meenie, minie moe; pick a seat, we gotta go."
A lawyer for the two siblings said they were humiliated and degraded almost three years ago when the attendant said the rhyme. The women say the phrase reminded them of a racist version of the rhyme, which includes the "n-word."
The airline says the flight attendant was unaware of the racist version of the rhyme -- and was directing it at the two women and others who hadn't yet taken their seats.
Plaintiffs Louise Sawyer and Grace Fuller of Johnson County, Kan., say they suffered physical and emotional distress. Their lawyer told the eight-member jury the two were discriminated against -- even though the "n-word" sometime associated with the rhyme was not used.
Cundiff says she had no idea why the rhyme would have been considered racist. She says it was directed at all those who weren't seated, not just Sawyer and Fuller. And she says she'd used it before on other flights, in an attempt at humor. Cundiff said didn't know its history, and didn't mean to offend anyone.
The women decided to sue out of frustration after Southwest Airlines would not take their complaint seriously.
