PORTLAND— Southwest Airlines (WN) is facing a $1.2 million lawsuit after a Black family alleged that a gate agent humiliated and discriminated against them during a departure from Portland International Airport (PDX) in August 2025.
The DeWeese family was traveling from Portland to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) when the alleged confrontation occurred.
According to the lawsuit, the incident began after the father declared and checked a firearm at the Southwest ticket counter.
While he returned to the counter to resolve an issue involving the firearm, his daughters continued toward the boarding gate, where they allege that gate agent Melissa Stallcup repeatedly called for the family and made statements about a gun.
Southwest Gate Agent Confrontation At PDX Airport
The lawsuit alleges that Stallcup told the family that they would not be boarding because one of the daughters was carrying a firearm.
One of the daughters reportedly explained that her father was at the ticket counter handling the issue, but the family claims the agent then said that the father was in police custody.
The father later returned to the gate and found his daughters distressed by the exchange. When he questioned the gate agent about the statements, the lawsuit alleges that Stallcup warned him not to “pop off” at her before making a comment referring to race.
The family claims the encounter caused significant embarrassment and emotional distress in front of other passengers. The lawsuit also alleges that the gate agent wrongly accused the daughters of failing to pay the required fee for bringing their cat into the aircraft cabin.
$1.2 Million Legal Damages Claim
The DeWeese family filed the lawsuit in Multnomah County on August 11 through Portland attorneys Greg and Jason Kafoury. The complaint seeks $1.2 million in damages and alleges that Southwest was responsible for the treatment the family received during the airport encounter.
The lawsuit states that the firearm had been properly declared and checked before the father proceeded to the boarding area. It also disputes the allegation concerning the family cat, stating that the pet fee had already been paid.
The case invokes Oregon protections against discrimination in public accommodations, which prohibit restrictions or unequal treatment based on race and other protected characteristics.
Federal aviation law also prohibits air carriers from discriminating against passengers based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, or ancestry.
Southwest Response To Lawsuit
Southwest has not publicly accepted the allegations against its employee. The airline told KATU that it could not comment on the matter because the litigation remains ongoing.
The lawsuit comes as Southwest continues to maintain a significant presence at PDX, where it is the airport’s second-largest operator by flight share according to the reference data.
The airline serves several year-round destinations from Portland, including Chicago Midway, Denver, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Oakland, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Diego and San Jose, Simple Flying reported.
Southwest also resumed Portland–Long Beach service on August 4, operating the route six days per week. The ongoing lawsuit could now place additional attention on the airline’s customer-service practices and its handling of sensitive security-related situations at airport gates.
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