Woman removed from Southwest flight was racially profiled, lawyer claims

(FOX News) -- A lawyer for Anila Daulatzai is claiming that his client was not booted from her Southwest Airlines flight after complaining of a "life-threatening" allergy to the pets on the plane, but rather because she was the victim of sexism and racial profiling. Furthermore, he writes that she was pregnant at the time of the highly publicized incident, which went viral after footage of Daulatzai being removed from the flight was shared online.

In a statement released on Wednesday by Arjun S. Sethi of the Hall & Sethi personal injury firm, Sethi refutes earlier reports that Daulatzai, a 46-year-old professor, had been complaining of allergies. According to the statement, which Sethi shared on behalf of Daulatzai and her family, the woman had spoken with Southwest employees of her allergies prior to boarding the flight from Baltimore to Los Angeles, and agreed to take a seat near the back of the plane.

Sethi alleges that his client was merely grading papers in her seat when Southwest employees approached her and began barraging her with questions.

"She was never asked for medical certification, nor would she have needed to carry that, because her allergies are not life threatening," he writes. "Despite trying to convince the crew that she would be completely fine on the plane, she was asked by another Southwest representative to leave the plane."

He added that Maryland Transportation Authority Police had "humiliated her for the world to see in a now viral video" by tearing her pants and dragging her through the aisle of the plane. The statement also claims that police later "disparaged her, accused her of lying about her pregnancy, and made racist remarks about immigrants."