PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A former Southwest Airlines employee has filed a federal lawsuit in Arizona alleging the company ignored years of sexual harassment complaints, promoted the man he says harassed him and then fired him after he submitted a formal written complaint.

DJ Kelly worked for Southwest Airlines for nearly 14 years before losing his job last year.

“That affected my life like crazy. And I’ve been paying for it for the past year. It’s been like the hardest year of my life,” Kelly said.

Allegations of harassment and inaction

The lawsuit alleges that beginning in 2019, a co-worker subjected Kelly to years of unwanted touching, sexually explicit comments and repeated harassment.

“It just made me very uncomfortable using the restroom and having the individual walk up behind me while I’m using the restroom and making comments,” Kelly said.

The lawsuit claims supervisors witnessed the conduct and that little changed despite Kelly reporting the alleged harassment over several years.

Written complaint, investigation and termination

In March of last year, Kelly submitted a detailed written complaint. The lawsuit states Southwest investigated and confirmed parts of the complaint but initially took no disciplinary action.

Weeks later, Kelly was fired — accused of using a homophobic slur, an allegation he denies.

“I know there are other people that want to come forward that are afraid to, especially after seeing what happened to me,” Kelly said.

Kelly’s attorney, Joshua Carden of Robinson Law Offices, said he has not seen a case this serious in his 12 years of employment law practice.

“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.

Nationally, men account for roughly 16 to 22 percent of sexual harassment charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Research shows about 57 percent of those complaints report the alleged harasser is another man. More than 85 percent of people who experience workplace harassment never file a formal complaint.

What comes next

Southwest Airlines has not yet filed its formal response to the lawsuit, which seeks back pay, reinstatement or future lost wages and damages. The next step is for Southwest to respond in court before both sides begin exchanging evidence through the discovery process.

Southwest Airlines declined to comment on pending litigation. The allegations in the lawsuit have not been proven.

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