A 55-year-old woman who was one of the few female pilots at a Van Nuys private charter jet company has tentatively settled her lawsuit against her former employer, in which she alleged she was subjected to disparate treatment because of her gender and age and ultimately fired without justification, an attorney told a judge Monday.
Marian Macwan’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit, filed against Dreamline Aviation LLC, alleged wrongful termination, sexual harassment, age and gender discrimination, retaliation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and failure to prevent discrimination, harassment and retaliation. On Monday, a Dreamline attorney informed Judge Rolf M. Treu of the accord, but no terms were divulged.
The judge vacated the scheduled Sept. 30 start of trial. In her previous court papers, a Dreamline attorney denied Macwan’s allegations and said they belonged in the workers’ compensation arena instead of in court.
Macwan, hired by Dreamline in January 2018, has been a licensed pilot for more than 15 years and is certified to fly many of the different types of aircraft in the company’s fleet, including its Learjet planes, the suit stated. Of the 25 to 30 pilots who worked there during her tenure, there were never more than two at the same time who were female, according to the suit.
Despite having the required licensing, credentials and experience to be a captain, the Long Beach resident was always assigned to be second-in-charge during flights, the suit stated.
Macwan and other female pilots were frequently victims of workplace sexual harassment, including sexually inappropriate touching and lewd and offensive comments, and they also were sent sexually oriented photos, the suit stated.
Some male pilots openly discussed their sexual activities and preferences, questioned Macwan about her personal life and repeatedly sought to date her, the suit stated.
“The sexually inappropriate and hostile work environment was known among plaintiff’s colleagues, including those in management,” the suit alleged.
Macwan complained to her supervisors, but nothing was done, according to the suit, which further stated other female pilots were harassed by the same men.
Beginning in 2021, Macwan also found herself in a workplace in which Dreamline was slowly forcing out or terminating its older pilots and replacing them with less experienced airmen in their late 20s and 30s who were paid less than veterans, the suit stated.
During the last few months of her employment, a Dreamline co-owner “all but told plaintiff she was too old to be working for Dreamline and should consider quitting,” the suit filed in October 2022 alleged.
The same co-owner regularly yelled at Macwan, bullied her and made inappropriate comments such as, “Why are you still here?” “You should get another job,” “Everyone you know has already left,” and “I don’t want you to come back here,” all in an attempt to force the plaintiff to quit, the suit stated.
During a June 2022 meeting, Macwan was told she was being terminated because it “was no longer working out,” the suit stated.