A shocking incident of alleged racial discrimination has surfaced involving a major airline, highlighting the ongoing struggle against racial injustice in everyday life. On November 15, 2025, Cassandra McNamee filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey against Porter Airlines and its employee Miguel Oramas, among others. The case stems from an incident on February 13, 2022, where McNamee claims she was subjected to racial discrimination during a flight to Newark International Airport.
According to the court documents, McNamee alleges that while aboard a Porter Airlines flight, she was unjustly singled out by flight attendant Miguel Oramas. Despite being seated peacefully with her earbuds and phone in seat 17A, Oramas allegedly demanded she remove her earbuds without any legitimate cause. No similar demands were made of other passengers who were not African American. When McNamee questioned why she was targeted, Oramas reportedly responded with a racial slur: “Because you are the only N****r on the flight,” causing public humiliation.
The situation escalated when Oramas accused McNamee of misconduct and called law enforcement to remove her from the plane. After being detained and questioned for over two hours, other passengers and the Captain corroborated McNamee’s innocence, leading to her reboarding while Oramas was removed from duty. The complaint further states that Porter Airlines attempted to downplay the incident by offering a refund without admitting liability.
McNamee’s lawsuit accuses Porter Airlines and its employees of violating federal law under 42 U.S.C. § 1981 by engaging in intentional racial discrimination that interfered with her contractual rights as a passenger. Additionally, it claims breach of contract and breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing by Porter Airlines for allowing such discriminatory actions to occur.
The plaintiff seeks compensatory damages for emotional distress, reputational harm, loss of enjoyment of travel, future psychological treatment costs, and punitive damages for what is described as willful and malicious conduct by the defendants. She also requests attorneys’ fees and costs under 42 U.S.C. § 1988.
Representing Cassandra McNamee is Jared M. Wichnovitz from The Law Offices of Jared M. Wichnovitz P.C., based in Hoboken, New Jersey. The case has been assigned Case ID: 2:25-cv-17602 but does not yet list specific judges involved.
Source: 225cv17602_McNamee_v_Porter_Airlines_Complaint_District_New_Jersey.pdf
