Arthur Blank, the billionaire owner of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, is facing serious allegations involving the misuse of his private jet and the mistreatment of his flight staff. According to an explosive lawsuit, Blank hired a woman half his age to work on his private aircraft during the time they were allegedly “in a romantic relationship.”
The suit claims that this woman was unqualified for the job, leading to other flight attendants being forced to work unpaid overtime to make up for her shortcomings.
The lawsuit, filed by flight attendants Adele Pearson and Samantha Carlisle, accuses the family office of Arthur Blank—AMBFO—of improper employment practices that resulted in an unfair and exploitative work environment.
Blank, who co-founded the home improvement giant Home Depot before purchasing the Atlanta Falcons in 2002 for $545 million, is accused of creating a dysfunctional workplace where favoritism and personal relationships took precedence over competency and fair labor practices.
Pearson and Carlisle allege that they worked long, grueling hours on Blank’s luxury private jets without being paid overtime. They claim that the flight group within Blank’s family office, AMBFO, was poorly managed and operated without regard for labor laws, often hiring and retaining incompetent employees because of their personal relationships with Blank or other supervisors.
The lawsuit, filed on October 18 in federal court in Atlanta, describes how Blank, now 82 and thrice divorced, was romantically involved with 42-year-old Christie Buice, who was hired as a flight attendant by AMBFO.
According to the complaint, Buice provided only limited support, and AMBFO allowed her to be scheduled on flights only when Blank was the sole passenger. The limited contribution from Buice placed an undue burden on Pearson and Carlisle, who were required to pick up the slack.
The two flight attendants allege that they were regularly forced to work well beyond 40 hours per week due to their increased workload, which they attribute to covering for Buice’s inadequacies. The complaint describes how Pearson and Carlisle handled the majority of the flights for AMBFO and were expected to cover for Buice, who was allegedly hired because of her relationship with Blank.
Moreover, the lawsuit claims that Buice wasn’t the only employee allegedly given preferential treatment because of a romantic relationship. Pearson and Carlisle allege that AMBFO also kept another employee on the payroll who was romantically involved with the director of aviation.
According to the lawsuit, this flight attendant was also unqualified for her position, which further increased the workload for Pearson and Carlisle as they had to both cover her duties and attempt to familiarize her with the company’s operations.
The lawsuit also details other non-flight-related tasks that Pearson and Carlisle were allegedly forced to perform, including running personal errands for Blank and his family, such as handling their dry cleaning and making arrangements for restaurants or hotels.
These duties were on top of their already demanding flight responsibilities, adding to their excessive workload.
Arthur Blank, whose net worth is estimated at $9.3 billion by Forbes, has not responded to the allegations. Attempts to reach Christie Buice and the other employees named in the lawsuit have also been unsuccessful.
Samantha Carlisle, who joined AMBFO in March 2022, reportedly informed her employers in July of this year that she intended to resign due to the demanding conditions. Meanwhile, Adele Pearson, who was hired in January 2021, remains with the company, though her job status is currently unclear. When contacted by The Post, Pearson’s attorney declined to comment.
The lawsuit alleges that Pearson and Carlisle worked in excess of 70 hours per week, and sometimes as much as 90 hours, often with minimal personal time. They both voiced their concerns to their supervisors, complaining that they had “almost no personal time” and that they “could not continue to work the amount of hours that AMBFO regularly required.”
Despite earning annual salaries of $160,000 and approximately $158,000 respectively, Pearson and Carlisle claim that the demands of the job were unreasonable and that they were subjected to exploitative conditions.
The complaint also alleges that AMBFO falsified time records to make it appear that the flight attendants had eight days off per month, when in reality, they were constantly being contacted by Blank’s family office about travel arrangements during their supposed days off.
The plaintiffs claim that even on their scheduled days off, they were “bombarded” with text messages and phone calls, leaving them little time for rest or recuperation.
According to data from JetSpy, Arthur Blank owns two private jets—a Bombardier Global Express and a Bombardier Global 7500.
The lawsuit paints a picture of a work environment where the luxuries enjoyed by the billionaire came at the expense of the employees tasked with maintaining those luxuries. Pearson and Carlisle allege that their working conditions were grueling and that they were subjected to excessive demands without proper compensation.
The lawsuit sheds light on the alleged imbalance of power within Blank’s family office, where personal relationships appeared to dictate hiring and management decisions, leading to an unhealthy and unfair work environment.
As the legal proceedings continue, the case will likely bring more scrutiny to the employment practices within Arthur Blank’s private business operations. For now, Pearson and Carlisle are seeking compensation for unpaid overtime and damages for the stress and hardship they endured while working for AMBFO.
