Megan Thomas, a lawyer who represents people in workplace sexual misconduct matters, said a years-long dispute over the wording and size of her advertising at Syracuse Hancock International Airport has ended with a larger billboard that keeps the language she originally sought. Thomas said the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority eventually allowed her ad to run in a format that includes prominent placement and a full-size photo, after she sued when the authority rejected her initial proposal.
Thomas said she signed a contract last summer for the advertisement at the airport, intending it to carry the message: “When HR called it harmless flirting … we called it exhibit A.” She said airport officials asked her to soften the “harsh” wording, setting up the conflict that followed.
According to Thomas, the authority approved a draft version of her advertisement and then reversed course the next day. She said the airport later told her the ad was not approved and that the slogan was “considered to be a bit harsh.” Thomas further said that during follow-up calls she was told the authority’s leadership believed the proposed slogan might be viewed as “threatening” or “intimidating” to men, and that concerns about negative community feedback and whether local politicians would find it offensive helped drive the decision, according to her federal suit.
In court filings, lawyers for the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority argued that alternate slogans would have been offered that conveyed a similar message in a more professional way. The authority also maintained a position in the litigation that the proposed tagline was misleading. Thomas sued in federal court in August, seeking relief after the authority did not display her ad as she had requested.
A judge disagreed with the authority’s assessment in a preliminary decision issued in January, according to Thomas and the court record described in the report. Judge Anthony Brindisi said the authority’s contention was “nonsense,” and he said Thomas’ slogan was no more misleading than a Chick-fil-A airport display featuring a cow and the phrase “Chikin 4 Din Makez U Grin,” which he described as suggesting that chicken dinners would always make a person happy or that cows can speak.
Shortly after the judge’s ruling, the sides reached a confidential settlement, the report said. Thomas said the new version of the ad went up a few weeks ago, and that two walls of the travel hub now show the pink advertisement along with her photo, a placement that was larger than she first intended.
Thomas said she chose to advertise at the airport because many of her clients have reported being sexually harassed on work trips, and she described the location and prominence as important to her communications goals. She said she expected the outcome could affect other women who may face similar treatment at work, and she said calls to her Syracuse-based firm have been “way up” since the sign went up, adding that she has hired another attorney and planned to add office staff.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority called the judge’s decision “unfortunate” but said the settlement “permits both parties to return focus to their core corporate purposes while preserving the authority’s ability to manage and operate the airport.”