PHILADELPHIA – Frontier Airlines and one of its regional managers deny that they were responsible for defaming a ground contractor and causing her to lose out on a position with another company.
Tracy J. Cederfeldt of Ridley Park initially filed suit in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas on May 3 versus Frontier Airlines, Inc. and Christine Kreiss, both of Philadelphia.
“Plaintiff began her employment with Worldwide Flight Services in September 2018, working in operations as Frontier’s ground contractor providing services and support to Frontier flights and crews at PHL. Plaintiff was tasked with core responsibilities at WFS to ensure Frontier had open gates, on-time departures, and ground-based resources Frontier pilots, flight attendants and ground crews (rampers, agents) needed to operate Frontier PHL flights smoothly,” the suit stated.
“Plaintiff at WFS developed a high level of aviation knowledge and expertise in Frontier operations and procedures, to the point where virtually the entire Frontier pilot group relied and trusted plaintiff daily to manage and deliver operational and safety excellence for the aircraft, their crews, and passengers.”
By November 2019, as Frontier was encouraging Cederfeldt to join the company in an operations management or training position, plaintiff was also pursuing opportunities in aviation outside of WFS as they became available.
“Plaintiff applied for training supervisor position at Menzies Aviation, which moved her away from WFS (Terminal E) and away from Frontier’s PHL regional manager, Christine Kreiss,” the suit stated.
“Kreiss had long caused serious friction in plaintiff’s work environment at WFS servicing Frontier’s operations, harassing plaintiff and denigrating her ability to perform WFS duties for Frontier.”
The training position at Menzies paid plaintiff nearly twice what her then-employer paid, and offered plaintiff a new supervisory position and career advancement in aviation.
Cederfeldt interviewed with Menzies’ general manager, Justin Halbsgut, on Dec. 31, 2019 at the end of her work day. Halbsgut called plaintiff on Jan. 2, 2020 and offered her the job as training supervisor with Menzies Aviation, to start five days later, on Jan. 7, 2020. Cederfeldt’s last day of work at WFS was Jan. 6, and she said she received no exit interview and no performance reviews.
“But on Jan. 6, Halbsgut told Cederfeldt that Kreiss called him that afternoon, and reported that Kreiss said the plaintiff’s authorization to enter or work around Frontier aircraft ‘had been removed’. With Monaghan on the line, Halbsgut said Kreiss told him she was ‘just the messenger’ and the decision about her authorization ‘came from Frontier,” per the suit.
“Up to the last minute plaintiff worked at WFS on Jan. 6, 2020, plaintiff’s authorization to board or work around Frontier aircraft had never been removed - any statement by Christine Kreiss that it had was false. During plaintiff’s entire one and a half years at WFS, particularly during her two week notice period, plaintiff was never told or warned by WFS or Frontier that her authorization on Frontier aircraft had been ‘removed’ or its status changed.”
The sum total of the events in question was the rescinding of Cederfeldt’s new job offer, which the suit said was due to Kreiss’s allegedly false statements.
“By Jan. 6, 2020, plaintiff had applied for other positions at Frontier, and the Pilots’ group recommended ‘Frontier aggressively move to recruit and retain [plaintiff as part of our [Frontier] team.’ On Jan. 10, 2020, plaintiff emailed Brad Lambert she was now unemployed because of Kreiss’s and Frontier’s false statements to Menzies, that she had a home, and family and children to support, and was stripped of her $45,000/year job,” per the suit.
“Lambert was apologetic to plaintiff, and emailed he was tied up with ALPA negotiations but would check with ‘HQ’ and look into it. Plaintiff never heard back from Brad Lambert, and nothing was done by anyone at Frontier to refute the false statements of Christine Kreiss and Frontier to Menzies.”
The defendants removed the suit to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on Feb. 16, citing diversity of jurisdiction and the amount in controversy exceeding $75,000.
It countered that the defendants are based in Denver, Colo. and Marmora, N.J. respectively, not Philadelphia, and that the total of the plaintiff’s requested damages exceeds $75,000.
UPDATE
In an answer to the complaint filed on Feb. 23, the defendants asserted numerous affirmative defenses denying liability.
“Plaintiff’s complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. Plaintiff has failed to establish any basis to demonstrate any wanton or reckless conduct on the part of defendants such that punitive damages are warranted. At all times, defendants acted reasonably and in good faith. The decision to revoke plaintiff’s authorization to work around or aboard Frontier’s aircraft was made for legitimate, business reasons,” according to the answer.
“Christine Kreiss’ statement that plaintiff’s authorization to work around or aboard Frontier’s aircraft was revoked prior to the start of plaintiff’s employment with Menzies’ Aviation was true and accurate. Defendants had no knowledge that plaintiff’s future employment with Menzies Aviation depended solely on her ability to work around or aboard Frontier’s aircraft or that plaintiff would have no opportunity to work with other airlines or entities while employed at Menzies Aviation.”
The defendants added the plaintiff failed to mitigate her damages, if any, and defendants are entitled to an offset, that the plaintiff’s damages were caused by her own conduct and that they will rely on all lawfully available proper defenses that the evidence may reveal and reserve the right to amend the answer to state such defenses.
For counts of defamation/slander and tortious interference with contractual relations, the plaintiff is seeking damages, individually, jointly and/or severally, in an amount in excess of $50,000, for monetary damages, compensatory damages, incidental and consequential damages, damages for humiliation and emotional distress, loss-of-standing and reputation with one or more airline carriers and contractors at PHL and the aviation community at-large, pre-judgment interest, liquidated damages, exemplary and/or punitive damages, and such other relief as the court deems just.
The plaintiff is represented by J. Stephen Woodside, in Bala Cynwyd.
The defendants are represented by Paul C. Lantis and Adama K. Wiltshire of Littler Mendelson, in Philadelphia.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania case 2:21-cv-00712
Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas case 2005003213
From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nick.malfitano@therecordinc.com