A lawyer who sued an upstate New York airport after it rejected a small advertisement for her sexual harassment law firm has now seen her message displayed on a massive sign at the facility.
Megan Thomas had signed a contract last summer for an ad at Syracuse Hancock International Airport, intending it to read: “When HR called it harmless flirting … we called it exhibit A.” However, airport officials requested she soften the "harsh" wording. Instead of complying, Thomas filed a lawsuit. The advertisement is now finally in place, with its original wording intact – and significantly larger than she had initially planned.
Two walls of the travel hub are emblazoned with the prominent, pink advertisement, alongside a huge photograph of Thomas. In her federal lawsuit filed in August, Thomas said the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority (SRAA) approved a draft version of her ad but then told her the slogan was “considered to be a bit harsh.” She was later told the ad might be viewed as “threatening” or “intimidating” to men, and that local politicians might find it offensive.
A judge disagreed with the authority's assessment, calling their claim “nonsense.” The two sides reached a confidential settlement shortly after the ruling, and the new, larger ad went up a few weeks ago. Thomas says calls to her firm have been “way up” since the sign went up, and she has hired another attorney and plans to hire another office staffer.
