The airline's attorneys argued that an injunction changing company procedures before a full trial would be overly broad and could interfere with legitimate loyalty benefits. Sarah narrowed the requested relief to the most urgent issues: preserving evidence, prohibiting retaliation against witnesses, maintaining accurate incident reporting, and suspending any practice that permitted revenue status to influence assessments of passenger misconduct or safety. She did not ask the judge to determine that every premium benefit was discriminatory. She asked for a process in which a person's wealth could not replace evidence. That narrower request gave the court a concrete question to decide.
Judge Moore took a recess before issuing a ruling. In the corridor, Taylor sat between her father and grandmother, exhausted by the effort of remaining still. Evelyn opened a small tin of peppermints and offered her one. Taylor accepted, grateful for something ordinary to do with her hands. Across the hall Diane stood with her lawyers, speaking in whispers. For a second Taylor felt an unexpected flicker of pity for her. Then she remembered how Diane had looked down at her after the slap and decided pity did not require forgetting.
The court granted preservation and anti-retaliation protections and ordered specific interim safeguards concerning safety-related incident reporting while the broader claims proceeded. The airline also agreed, under the court's supervision, to suspend the challenged revenue-tier instruction pending an independent review. Judge Moore emphasized that the hearing did not decide criminal responsibility or final civil liability. "The court will not treat money spent on a ticket as evidence of honesty," she said. "Nor will it treat an allegation as proven simply because it is widely repeated. The parties will be expected to preserve records and present facts."
The ruling was narrower than the headlines that appeared that evening, but it marked an important shift. National Airways could no longer handle the dispute solely through its public-relations department. Records had to be preserved, witnesses protected, and reporting procedures examined by people outside the usual chain of command. Diane was not sentenced or punished by the judge at this hearing. Separately, the airline suspended her ability to book additional travel while reviewing her conduct, a decision it explained as an interim safety measure. The possibility of criminal proceedings remained for local authorities to assess under applicable law.
Outside the courthouse, microphones crowded the walkway. Sarah gave a brief statement about the order and the importance of a fair investigation. James declined to speak about his military inquiry and thanked the witnesses who had come. Taylor stood between them and let the cameras pass over her without turning toward them. A reporter called out, "Taylor, do you feel vindicated?" She stopped for a moment. "I feel tired," she said. "And I want people to stop deciding what happened based on who had the expensive seat."