MINNEAPOLIS — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Amtrak that alleged staff kicked a man off a train he boarded in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, because he was Black.
Minnesota U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz ruled in late June that Xavier Eidson had no claim against Amtrak. As a result, Amtrak has asked it be awarded $4,366 for defending against the lawsuit filed in February 2020.
Edison boarded an Amtrak train on May 29, 2019, at Detroit Lakes, with plans to travel to the Twins Cities. He tried to change seats because a fellow passenger next to him smelled of alcohol, according to court documents.
A conductor later told Edison he needed to return to his seat, but the passenger refused, saying no seats were reserved, court documents said. The conductor said the seats were reserved for a group getting on the train before warning Edison he would be removed from the train if he didn’t comply.
Amtrak removed Edison from the train at Staples, Minnesota, court documents said.
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Edison claimed he was being singled out for being Black, though Schiltz’s ruling said no one mentioned the passenger’s race at the time of the incident.
The ruling found that Amtrak blocked off the area to where Edison tried to move for a larger group of passengers, which is a nondiscriminatory reason for removing Edison. The conductor previously cleared the area of white passengers, Schiltz’s opinion said.
