CNN  —  A lawsuit filed Wednesday on behalf of three Black men alleges “blatant and egregious race discrimination” by American Airlines after being removed from a flight. The suit alleges that the plaintiffs, Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, and Xavier Veal, and five other Black male passengers, were ejected from American Flight 832 from Phoenix to JFK on January 5, 2024, “without any valid reason, based solely on their race,” according to the complaint. An American Airlines representative approached each of the men prior to takeoff, the complaint said, ordering them off the plane. The passengers complied. “(O)nce they reached the jet bridge, they saw that several other Black men were also being removed from the plane. In fact, it appeared to Plaintiffs that American had ordered of the Black male passengers on Flight 832 off the plane,” the complaint reads. American representatives told the men a complaint about body odor had prompted their removal, the complaint says. The men were eventually allowed back on. “After approximately an hour, and only after determining that there were no available American flights that evening on which the men could be rebooked, American reversed course and informed Plaintiffs and the other Black male passengers that they could reboard Flight 832 and fly to JFK,” according to the complaint. “We take all claims of discrimination very seriously and want our customers to have a positive experience when they choose to fly with us,” American Airlines said in a statement. “Our teams are currently investigating the matter, as the claims do not reflect our core values or our purpose of caring for people.” This is a developing news story. It will be updated.