A Boston jury has awarded $400,000 to a Portuguese-born US citizen in what is being described as the first legal victory in an airline racial profiling case since 9/11. John Cerqueira was removed from an American Airlines flight at Boston’s Logan Airport in 2003 along with two Israeli passengers who were seated next to him. All three were held by state police, interrogated for two hours, and then denied further service by American Airlines. [includes rush transcript]

A Boston jury has awarded $400,000 to a Portuguese-born US citizen in what is being described as the first legal victory in an airline racial profiling case since 9/11. John Cerqueira, a computer consultant, was removed from an American Airlines flight at Boston’s Logan Airport in 2003 along with two Israeli passengers who were seated next to him. The Israeli passengers had been speaking in Hebrew and heavily-accented English. All three were held by state police, interrogated for two hours, and then denied further service by American Airlines.

Cerqueira charged that he had been removed from the flight with the other two passengers because of their Middle Eastern appearance. American Airlines defended their actions and stated in the suit that they would have done the same thing today. The jury ruled in Cerqueira’s favor last Friday.

American Airlines denied a request for an interview, but Tim Wagner, a spokesman, released a written statement that said: “While we respect the jury system, we disagree with this verdict. This decision is simply not supported by the facts or the law. We will evaluate our legal options.” John Cerqueira now joins me from a studio in Los Angeles. His attorney in the case, Michael Kirkpatrick is on the line from Washington D.C. He is with the Public Citizen Litigation Group.

• John Cerqueira. Won a discrimination lawsuit against American Airlines. He was awarded $400,000.
• Michael Kirkpatrick. Attorney who represented John Cerqueira in lawsuit against American Airlines. He is with the Public Citizen Litigation Group in Washington D.C.