Highlights
- DJ Kelly filed a federal lawsuit in Arizona alleging Southwest Airlines ignored years of sexual harassment by a co-worker beginning in 2019.
- Southwest investigated Kelly's March written complaint, confirmed parts of it, but initially took no disciplinary action, the lawsuit states.
- Kelly was fired weeks after submitting the complaint, accused of using a homophobic slur — an allegation he denies.
- The lawsuit seeks back pay, reinstatement or future lost wages, and damages; Southwest has not yet filed its formal response.
A former Southwest Airlines employee has filed a federal lawsuit in Arizona alleging the carrier ignored years of sexual harassment complaints, promoted the man he says harassed him, and then fired him after he submitted a formal written complaint, Arizona's Family reported Friday.
DJ Kelly worked for Southwest for nearly 14 years before losing his job last year. The lawsuit alleges that beginning in 2019, a co-worker subjected Kelly to years of unwanted touching, sexually explicit comments, and repeated harassment. The suit claims supervisors witnessed the conduct and that little changed despite Kelly reporting the alleged harassment over several years.
In March of last year, Kelly submitted a detailed written complaint. Southwest investigated and confirmed parts of the complaint but initially took no disciplinary action, according to the lawsuit. Weeks later, Kelly was fired, accused of using a homophobic slur, an allegation he denies.
Who is representing Kelly?
Kelly's attorney is Joshua Carden of Robinson Law Offices. Carden said he has not seen a case this serious in his 12 years of employment law practice, and argued the timeline between the written complaint and the termination warrants jury scrutiny. "He reported it in writing in March and got fired in May. We think a jury ought to have the chance to look at that timeline really closely and evaluate the evidence as it comes in," Carden said.
Southwest declined to comment on pending litigation. The airline has not yet filed its formal response; the next step is for Southwest to answer in court before both sides begin discovery. The allegations in the lawsuit have not been proven.
Southwest is separately facing more than $2.3 million in Arizona labor fines after a state administrative law judge upheld penalties related to retaliation against Arizona workers for taking paid leave, ABC15 reported.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- AZ Family (3TV/CBS5) retrieved 01/08/2026 01:29
- ABC15 Arizona retrieved 01/08/2026 01:29
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 01/08/2026 01:29. Every claim traces to a source.
