The B.C. Supreme Court has issued a ruling ordering WestJet to provide all its files on harassment of flight attendants in a class-action lawsuit alleging widespread misconduct by pilots. Justice Jacqueline Hughes stated that the airline has been slow and potentially adversarial in producing the necessary documents, and it is unclear why complaint files have not been provided in a timely manner.
The lawsuit, filed in 2016, claims that WestJet breached flight attendants' contracts by failing to provide a harassment-free workplace. The ruling mandates that the airline must produce all harassment complaints by flight attendants from April 4, 2014, to February 28, 2021, regardless of the gender of the pilots involved.
While WestJet has handed over 24 harassment complaints, internal statistics suggest that there were significantly more during the specified period. Some of these complaints involve sexual harassment and assault. The delay in producing documents has pushed the trial date to October 2025.
Lead plaintiff Mandalena Lewis had requested all harassment complaint files for the entire workforce, but the court ruled that the case only pertains to flight attendants' employment contracts. The ruling also clarified that the anti-harassment promise in the employment contracts is not limited to complaints against male pilots only.
Justice Hughes has given WestJet 45 days to provide the additional files, taking into consideration the upcoming holiday period. The court's decision aims to ensure transparency and access to relevant information in the ongoing legal proceedings.