Pilot Files Lawsuit Against United Airlines Over Forced Rehab and Firing

Veteran captain alleges he was wrongly diagnosed with alcohol dependence.

Ryan Ewing

Saturday, July 12, 2025 at 07:00 AM ET

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Edited By:

Travis Tingle

United Airlines 737 Max 9 aircraft [Credit: AirlineGeeks/William Derrickson]

Key Takeaways:

A former United Airlines captain, Michael Tallon, has filed a federal lawsuit against United Airlines, ALPA, and an Aviation Medical Examiner for wrongful termination and medical mismanagement.
Tallon alleges he was forcibly placed into United's HIMS substance abuse program after suffering a head injury, despite not meeting any diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorder and his concussion protocols being ignored.
He claims this action, which he states was discriminatory and retaliatory, led to his termination and violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), among other statutes, seeking damages and changes to United’s HIMS program.

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A former United Airlines captain has filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, alleging wrongful termination and medical mismanagement following a workplace head injury.

In a 22-page complaint filed on July 3, Michael Tallon accuses United, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), and Aviation Medical Examiner Dr. Robert Noven of discrimination, retaliation, and fraud. Tallon claims the defendants wrongly forced him into a substance abuse program after he suffered a head injury while on a layover in the Azores in June 2023.