A Delta Air Lines employee has filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging discrimination and retaliation based on her Jewish and Israeli background. Sharon Lavy filed the complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York on December 24, 2024, naming Delta Air Lines, Inc. as the defendant.
Lavy, a flight attendant with over eighteen years of experience at Delta, claims she has been subjected to a hostile work environment due to her ethnic and religious identity. The lawsuit alleges a pattern of discrimination against Jewish employees, citing several incidents during flights between Tel Aviv and JFK.
One such incident involved a purser allegedly displaying antisemitic behavior, referring to Jewish individuals as "your people" and criticizing Lavy and her colleague, Roey Segev, for speaking Hebrew to passengers, despite this being part of their job duties.
Lavy further alleges that after she reported these incidents, Delta retaliated against her by revoking her purser status based on fabricated complaints about her conduct, including accusations of unauthorized phone use and neglecting passenger service duties. Lavy denies these claims.
The lawsuit also highlights an incident in which an unruly passenger assaulted another Jewish flight attendant, yet no emergency landing was made. Lavy argues that the lack of a standard safety protocol response would not have occurred if the staff members involved were not Jewish.
Additionally, Lavy claims that Delta continues to employ individuals who openly support Hamas, creating an unsafe environment for Jewish employees.
Despite reporting these concerns alongside forty-four other colleagues, Lavy alleges that management failed to take corrective action.
Lavy seeks compensatory damages for emotional distress and economic losses, including reduced work hours due to fear of further retaliation. She also demands punitive damages for Delta’s alleged discriminatory practices under federal and state laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the New York City Human Rights Law.
Lavy is represented by attorney Lauren Israelovitch from the National Jewish Advocacy Center. The case is filed under Case ID 1:24-cv-8792.