Air Force Veteran Says United Fired Him Over False Alcohol Claim

Federal lawsuit alleges airline regarded pilot as disabled and discriminated based on race and perceived alcoholism.

Ryan Ewing

Friday, October 31, 2025 at 08:00 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 pilot, John Paul Castillo III, has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the airline of discrimination, retaliation, and defamation following his termination.
Castillo alleges United violated the ADA by firing him due to a perceived alcohol-use disorder (despite an independent evaluation finding none), and Title VII due to his Hispanic ethnicity, citing disparate treatment compared to other pilots.
The lawsuit also claims United retaliated after he hired a lawyer and defamed him by falsely reporting "pilot-performance issues" to the FAA as the reason for his dismissal.

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A former United pilot has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the carrier of discrimination, retaliation, and defamation following his termination last year.

In the complaint filed Oct. 13 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, John Paul Castillo III, a former C-130 combat pilot and United first officer, alleges the company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by firing him because it “regarded him as disabled due to a perceived alcohol-use disorder” and because he is Hispanic.