American Airlines Liable for Air Force Reservist’s Rehire Delay

American Airlines Inc. was properly found to have violated federal military leave law when it delayed rehiring an Air Force reservist returning from a tour of duty because the FAA hadn’t cleared him to work as a pilot, the Fourth Circuit ruled Monday.

Thomas Harwood should have been reinstated in an equivalent position more quickly than the more than two months it took to offer him an alternative position when his ineligibility to fly became known, the court said. The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act requires employers to “promptly” rehire employees who take leave for military duty, the ...