FEDERAL COURT / DENVER, June 24 — In a
hearing held via video conference before Magistrate Judge
N. Reid Neureiter in the United States District Court for
the District of Colorado, Inner City Press won a
significant unsealing ruling in Jones v. United Airlines,
Inc., No. 1:24-cv-03013-NYW-NRN — a race discrimination
case arising from a noose found in a breakroom at Denver
International Airport.
Antonio Jones, an African-American man,
began working as a Ramp Service Employee at DIA in
February 2019. Within four months, he was promoted to Ramp
Service Lead. Less than two percent of the company's ramp
leads at the time were Black. Around December 2020, Jones
entered a breakroom commonly used by Black employees.
There was commotion. A noose had been found on a table.
A suspicious disciplinary write-up later
appeared in Jones's file — not on United letterhead. Jones
was suspended July 5, 2022, and terminated January 27,
2023. His internal appeal was denied April 19, 2023. His
complaint was filed October 28, 2024. As summary judgment
briefing concluded, United Airlines moved to seal 29 of
its exhibits, claiming they contained proprietary
information and private non-party details. Plaintiff's
counsel filed their own late restriction motion covering
additional exhibits. Both parties agreed.
Inner City Press filed oppositions at ECF
Nos. 73 and 76, and Magistrate Judge Neureiter set a
hearing for June 24, 2026. Here is our account of it:
Judge Neureiter began by taking appearances
— United Airlines by phone, plaintiff's counsel and Inner
City Press by Cisco video — and then said he had looked at
some of the sealed exhibits and didn't think they merited
restriction. Plaintiff's counsel quickly agreed, except
for the names and races of comparators.
Inner City Press said: fine, redact the
names, but leave in the race — that is what this case is
about. Judge Neureiter agreed. United Airlines' lawyer
asked for time to review the exhibits they had sealed,
then said they contained proprietary information.
Judge Neureiter disagreed, saying the
investigation of the noose is not proprietary, nor whether
they had a video camera at the gate or not. Ultimately he
told United Airlines to re-docket the exhibits — 29 in all
— by July 17. Inner City Press did not object on timing,
given defense counsel's travel schedule.
"You're not going to press before then,"
Judge Neureiter remarked.
But we are going to press — here, on
the unsealing momentum. Watch this site.
