American Airlines is being criticized for its legal team’s response to a civil lawsuit against the company and one of its flight attendants, who is accused of secretly recording five girls in airplane bathrooms.Estes Carter Thompson III, 36, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was indicted last month in connection with an incident that happened on a Boston-bound American Airlines flight late last summer.Federal prosecutors said that on Sept. 2, 2023, Thompson video-recorded or attempted to surreptitiously video-record a 14-year-old female passenger with a cellphone as she used the aircraft lavatory while he was working as a flight attendant onboard American Airlines Flight 1441 from Charlotte Douglas International Airport to Boston Logan International Airport.As a result of an investigation into that incident, prosecutors said videos of four additional girls using aircraft lavatories were found on Thompson’s iCloud account that were recorded between January 2023 and August 2023. Authorities said those four girls were 7, 9, 11 and 14 years old.The family of the 9-year-old girl, who was allegedly recorded during a January 2023 flight from Austin, Texas, to Los Angeles, has filed a civil lawsuit against Thompson and American Airlines.In a Texas court filing responding to the suit, American Airlines’ lawyers argued that the girl was at fault and negligent because she used a lavatory “she knew or should have known contained a visible and illuminated recording device.””In what world would it ever be acceptable to blame a 9-year-old for being filmed while using an airplane bathroom?” posed Paul Llewellyn, an attorney representing the 9-year-old girl and the 14-year-old girl who was allegedly recorded during the Boston-bound flight. “It is shocking. It is outrageous and, in my opinion as a lawyer, they’ve just reached a new low.””It looks like they’ve saved every possible argument, not thinking about the (public relations) backlash that would blow up in their face,” said legal analyst Greg Henning, of Henning Strategies.”In my view, it just smacks of desperation,” Llewellyn said. “Really, are they going to stand up in front of a Texas jury and point to a 9-year-old and say, ‘Don’t blame us, it’s her fault.'”Click here to read the American Airlines court filingIn a statement, the 9-year-old girl’s mother said, “Instead of taking responsibility for this awful event, American Airlines is actually blaming our daughter for being filmed. How in good conscience could they even make such a suggestion? It both shocks and angers us. American Airlines has no shame.”The parents of the 14-year-old girl on that Boston-bound flight also reacted to American’s legal response, saying, “This callous legal position shocks us. Our hearts go out to the Texas family.”In a statement shared with NewsCenter 5 on Sept. 2, 2023, American Airlines said it was taking the incident that happened on Flight 1441 from Charlotte to Boston very seriously. But so far, the families of the girls who were allegedly recorded by Thompson said the airline has not apologized for the incidents or contacted them.NewsCenter 5 requested a comment from American Airlines in response to this story, but had yet to receive a reply as of late Tuesday night.Thompson pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of images of child sexual abuse depicting a prepubescent minor when he was arraigned Monday at the Moakley U.S. Courthouse in Boston.He is scheduled to return to court July 1.Following Thompson’s arrest, American Airlines had said that he was “immediately withheld from service” and had not worked for the airline since the Sept. 2, 2023, flight from Charlotte to Boston.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
American Airlines is being criticized for its legal team’s response to a civil lawsuit against the company and one of its flight attendants, who is accused of secretly recording five girls in airplane bathrooms.
Estes Carter Thompson III, 36, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was indicted last month in connection with an incident that happened on a Boston-bound American Airlines flight late last summer.
Federal prosecutors said that on Sept. 2, 2023, Thompson video-recorded or attempted to surreptitiously video-record a 14-year-old female passenger with a cellphone as she used the aircraft lavatory while he was working as a flight attendant onboard American Airlines Flight 1441 from Charlotte Douglas International Airport to Boston Logan International Airport.
As a result of an investigation into that incident, prosecutors said videos of four additional girls using aircraft lavatories were found on Thompson’s iCloud account that were recorded between January 2023 and August 2023. Authorities said those four girls were 7, 9, 11 and 14 years old.
The family of the 9-year-old girl, who was allegedly recorded during a January 2023 flight from Austin, Texas, to Los Angeles, has filed a civil lawsuit against Thompson and American Airlines.
In a Texas court filing responding to the suit, American Airlines’ lawyers argued that the girl was at fault and negligent because she used a lavatory “she knew or should have known contained a visible and illuminated recording device.”
“In what world would it ever be acceptable to blame a 9-year-old for being filmed while using an airplane bathroom?” posed Paul Llewellyn, an attorney representing the 9-year-old girl and the 14-year-old girl who was allegedly recorded during the Boston-bound flight. “It is shocking. It is outrageous and, in my opinion as a lawyer, they’ve just reached a new low.”
“It looks like they’ve saved every possible argument, not thinking about the (public relations) backlash that would blow up in their face,” said legal analyst Greg Henning, of Henning Strategies.
“In my view, it just smacks of desperation,” Llewellyn said. “Really, are they going to stand up in front of a Texas jury and point to a 9-year-old and say, ‘Don’t blame us, it’s her fault.'”
In a statement, the 9-year-old girl’s mother said, “Instead of taking responsibility for this awful event, American Airlines is actually blaming our daughter for being filmed. How in good conscience could they even make such a suggestion? It both shocks and angers us. American Airlines has no shame.”
The parents of the 14-year-old girl on that Boston-bound flight also reacted to American’s legal response, saying, “This callous legal position shocks us. Our hearts go out to the Texas family.”
In a statement shared with NewsCenter 5 on Sept. 2, 2023, American Airlines said it was taking the incident that happened on Flight 1441 from Charlotte to Boston very seriously. But so far, the families of the girls who were allegedly recorded by Thompson said the airline has not apologized for the incidents or contacted them.
NewsCenter 5 requested a comment from American Airlines in response to this story, but had yet to receive a reply as of late Tuesday night.
Thompson pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of images of child sexual abuse depicting a prepubescent minor when he was arraigned Monday at the Moakley U.S. Courthouse in Boston.
He is scheduled to return to court July 1.
Following Thompson’s arrest, American Airlines had said that he was “immediately withheld from service” and had not worked for the airline since the Sept. 2, 2023, flight from Charlotte to Boston.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
