A Texas family filed suit against American Airlines back in February after an employee allegedly recorded their 9-year-old daughter in an airplane bathroom. The incident reportedly took place in January 2023 when Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, a flight attendant working on the plane, made the recording.
Although Thompson was arrested and charged by federal agents, the airline seems to think the child is the one at fault.
According to newly filed court documents obtained by the New York Post, American Airlines claims the child should have known she was being recorded. Therefore, the airline is claiming it is not culpable for any illness or injury that came her way. Her family is understandably shocked and appalled by the airline's attempt at defending such vile behavior.
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Thompson allegedly had multiple victims.
He was reportedly caught in January 2024 filming a 14-year-old girl on a flight from North Carolina to Boston. The teen took photos of the alleged camera setup and showed them to her parents, who confronted the flight attendant.
Thompson reportedly denied any wrongdoing and subsequently locked himself in the airplane bathroom, seemingly attempting to delete evidence on his phone.
Investigators apparently found images of several minors on his phone.
Thompson allegedly had images of multiple minors, including at least 50 photos of a 9-year-old girl, according to a news release from the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
The child was unaccompanied on her flight, and it seems Thompson took full advantage of that. Now it appears the airline wants to blame the victims by making outrageous claims in court that the child should have been more aware.
“Any injuries or illnesses alleged to have been sustained by Plaintiff, Mary Doe, were proximately caused by Plaintiff’s own fault and negligence, were proximately caused by Plaintiff’s use of the compromised lavatory, which she knew or should have known contained a visible and illuminated recording device,” according to the airline.
The child’s family is furious.
According to the family’s attorney, Paul Llewellyn, the family is “absolutely livid.” He told the Post they couldn’t believe the airline’s stance.
“I was absolutely shocked and I think it’s outrageous,” Llewellyn told the Post. “The idea that American Airlines and its lawyers would blame a 9-year-old girl for being filmed, in my opinion, just smacks of desperation and depravity."
After news of language in the suit began circulating, American Airlines reached out to the Post with a statement for clarification blaming "outside counsel" and taking back the victim-blaming claim.
“The included defense is not representative of our airline and we have directed it be amended this morning. We do not believe this child is at fault and we take the allegations involving a former team member very seriously,” the statement noted.
It appears the airline isn’t blaming the teenage whistle blower.
Llewellyn told the Post that the 14-year-old North Carolina teen who found Thompson’s recording device is involved in a separate lawsuit with American Airlines. He claims the airline did not suggest the teen was involved in their family’s suit in December 2023.
“What on Earth is American Airlines thinking by adopting such a strategy?” the lawyer asked.
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Thompson pleaded not guilty.
The former flight attendant, currently being held in federal custody, pleaded not guilty in the US District Court of Massachusetts, the Boston Herald Reported.
The DA’s office said that if convicted of sexual exploitation, Thompson faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison. Conviction of child pornography possession charges would result in at least five years and up to 20 years in prison. He will also face a minimum of five years to a lifetime of supervised release and up to $250,000 in restitution.
